Seeking for Her
by KaitouKudou
Summary: Naruto's past and his uncertain future. Reasons behind why everything has centered around him. Hiding his sorrow, he begins his search. Ch14 is up! Happy New Years,Please R
1. Default Chapter

Seeking for Her

Ch1

"speechs"

'Thoughts'

His First Tears

"Please, take him for us. I do not wish for him to lead a life such that he is to stay with me, Hokage-sama," a women put a tiny baby on the floor between her and the great Ninja of the Konoha village. The boy looked twisted his head back and forth, looking about the peculiar environment. Returning his sights to his mother, he called to her with a cry. The woman ignored him and bowed down in pleads.

"_Hokage-sama, if you let him in then it will sure to bring danger upon our village later on," cried out one of the ninjas that gathered for the meeting._

"_I know…" Sarutobi said, "But aren't all individuals created the same upon this earth?"---raises his head and glances at the tearing mother, then looks around to every ninjas that are in the room---"You all know as well as I do that if we do not take him, he will suffer for how long ever his life may last."_

_A smile crossed the mother's face, "Then are you…"_

"_Yes, I shell take him in," Sarutobi smiled softly and took the crying baby in his arms._

"_HOKAGE-SAMA!" the ninja exclaimed._

"_Ebisu, my decision is final!" he shot the outraged ninja a glare and Ebisu closed his lips as he grinded his teeth inside._

"_His name is Naruto," told the woman, "I must leave now. It shouldn't take them long to find me here, I will run to a far away place to divert their attention from this village. Hopefully, they will never find out that I was ever here," with that, she gave a nod and left the room._

It's been nearly a month since the collapse of the sound village. Things seem to return to normal. The daily flirting to the blossom color haired girl from the loud blond boy. The name calling that went on between the cool calm Uchiha and the short-tempered idiot. The daily meeting that went on in the Hokage temple with occasional out bursts of rage from the woman with the plus-sized breasts.

The sun crawled up from behind the mountains and shined upon the young man's face. 'Don't wake up, I don't want to wake up, I don't…conscious thought, damn I'm awake.' He pulled himself up to a sitting position from his bed and rubbed his tired eyes. Giving a short grin to the early morning sun, he got to his feet, "Today's a free day! No mission for today! I wonder if Sakura-chan will go out with me today… meh, wouldn't hurt to try."

He tapped his fingers as he glared down upon his number one enemy, sitting with a bit of its mouth cracked open on the table as if it was giving a wise-crack smile to the inpatient Chunin. The three minutes time for the cup noodle to cook was truly a dreadful wait.

---ting---

"Aha! You're all mine now!" he growled as he jumped toward his helpless pray.

He tightened his forehead protector after he locked the door to his house. "Today is another day! Let's Go!" he roared to himself and dashed to the streets.

---Hokage Temple---

A woman stood quietly in the darkened room as she gazed hesitantly down at one odd content of a book. "Tsunade-sama, is something the matter?" a voice came from behind.

"Oh, its you Shizune. I was just looking at the old man's journal, come look at this," she said waving her hand to her companion.

She walked over with a questioning look, then gazed down at the page. Her eyes widened with surprise. "Tsunade-sama, is this…"

"Yes…"

"But how can this be, I thought he was…"

"Apparently not,"

"Call Jiraiya here, I need to speak with him." Tsunade ordered.

"Hai!"

(On the street outside a teahouse.)

"Saakuura-chan, morning!" he called out with a bright grin lined on his face.

"Oh, it's you Naruto. Morning," she gave a smile. Then flickering her eyes to a figure in the distance behind, she jumped with excitement, "Sasuke-kuuunn! Ohayo!" she jumped again with her arms tucked to her chest.

The boy gave a "hmf" and raised his hand to signal a greet. "We have no mission today, and I still can't avoid seeing your stupid face," Sasuke chuckled.

"Who are you calling stupid!" Naruto raised his fist.

"You, got a problem?" he replied with a grin.

Sakura sweat dropped as she watched the sparks fly between the two rivals. 'I should be use to this by now. It's been going on since…forever'

"Oh," Naruto bounced his head up. Sasuke and Sakura gave look to the young lad. The boy gave a smile, "Sasuke, I'll settle things with you some other time. Right now, I gotta get to Old Tsunade's place."

"What for?" asked Sakura.

"I just gotta ask her when the next Jounin exam is," he rubbed the back of his head.

"I guess I'll tag along too," Sasuke said coolly, "I've only been acknowledged as a chunin so I still gotta take it too anyways."

"I didn't think I was going to go till later, but no point leaving things tomorrow to what you can do today," he said proudly.

'Wow, I think Naruto is finally growing up.' Sakura smiled gently at the young man.

"and then…" the boy crecented his eyes and stuck his face to the young woman, "Perhaps you and I could..go on a date?" he snickered.

---Smack!---

The next thing he knew, he was flying through the air, landing on the other side of the block and sliding an additional few meters. "I just thought you might have grown up a bit and you had to go on and ruin it!"

'Man, I should really watch what I say around her. Guess that's what happens someone gets tutored by that strength mad baachan,' Naruto thought to himself.

Sasuke sweat dropped and coughed. "Alright, let's get going. Stop lying around, Usura Tonkachi."

'Shut up," Naruto got to his feet, rubbing the sore spot of his cheek.

"Wait up Sasuke-kun, I'll come too," the girl called out cheerfully.

---Back in the Temple---

"Tsunade, you needed something," an old man walked in from behind the doors, "Are you finally going to accept my date offer? For you, I can put all the other girl's behind if you want to," he gave a perverted smile.

---Pow---

The old man flew back out the door and hit the hallway wall with a loud thud. "You perverted freak, I called you to take a look at this." She handed him the book.

"The 3rd's journal?" he took to his hand and opened it to the page where she book marked. His eyes widened, "What!"

The three walked down the dimly lit hall of Hokage's temple quietly, careful not to disturb any meetings if it was happening. ---"what?"---

"Hey, I think that was ero-senin's voice," Naruto looked up.

"What's he doing here?" Sakura added.

They walked, listening carefully to see if another cry would burst out. Some muttering came to their ears. They followed the sound to a closed door. There, they decided to wait until what ever was happening inside was over.

"How can this be, Naruto was born in Konoha and his parents died, did they not?" Jiraiya said.

The comment caught the attention of the three outside the door. They silenced their breathing and listened carefully to the conversation.

"That is what the people here are led to believe. Reading that, I can understand why the 4th have chosen Naruto to be the holder of Nine-tails," Tsunade answered.

"I suppose, but…" Jiraiya said nervously.

"AND" Tsunade cut in, "It would explain why the Akatsuki wanted him as well." She said.

"Should we tell him?" Jiraiya asked.

"Why, we can't even be sure that she's still alive," Tsunade answered.

'She…Who's she…' Naruto swallowed his saliva as precipitation formed across his head.

"What if she's still alive. According to this, the 3rd had contact with her to not longer than a few weeks or so before he passed away in the battle." Jiraiya argued.

"It was after that, the Akatsuki took interest to Naruto. Yes, and it's almost like a turn base that when he stopped receiving messages from her, the Akatsuki took interest to Naruto. They probably found her and forced out the information," said Tsunade.

"For god sakes woman, the boy deserves to know something about his mother!" he raised his voice.

The door bursted open as a young boy dashed in with tears in his eyes. "Naruto!" Sakura called out to try and stop him from doing anything rash.

"What…did you…just say?" he demanded.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya responded in surprise.

Tsunade turned her back to the boy. A moment of silence hung in the air before the boy grew agitated. "You know something about my mother! I heard you say it!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jiraiya replied hesitantly.

"Damn it, don't play dumb with me! I know what I heard and I demand an answer!" he shouted. He felt a warm substance streak down his cheek. He brushed it with his hand and looked down at the substance.

'Naruto…' Sakura watched the desperate boy with sadness and surprise. 'Is he…crying. The poor guy, throughout all these years, I've never seen him cry. I think I should be saying something, but what can I say to him…his Naruto.' She shifted her glance. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

Ignoring his tears, he blunted again, "Ero-senin!" rage built in his eyes, "Tell me! What do you know about my mother? Is she still…alive"

"Just tell him," Tsunade said, "He already over heard our conversation so we might as well. He was bound to find out sooner or later."

Silence

"Fine," sighed the old man as he tossed the book over, "Read from the book marked page and you will find out what you seek."

End…

How was it? I know I changed some basic story line about Naruto's past but I thought this would be a great plot. It's my first Naruto Fanfic so please read and review


	2. Nostalgia

Ch2

"speech"

'Thought'

Nostalgia

"It's been a long time," a cloaked man stood amongst the darkened forest. The night wind blew warmly across his wrinkled face. Up above, the moon hung in a crescent as it reflected the light from the sun upon the shadowed earth. Few clouds shifted across the stars, blocking its radiance with its dense figure. The crickets sang in a chorus while the trees whistled in harmony in the background quietly. It was a nostalgic mood for the three that stood in a small triangle.

"_Indeed," the woman said, peeping over the top of her trench coat, "What do you wish from me, you know that it is very dangerous for me to be back here once more."_

"_We will not take long, for we wished to ask for your permission," the old man replied._

"_My permission? Could you have not just sent them upon your letter?" questioned the woman._

"_At first that is what I thought, how ever, the 4th here believed that it should not be something that should be said through letters, for the matter is grave," he answered with a sigh._

"_The 4th?" the woman raised an eyebrow._

"_Yes, I have now retired and he is the 4th Hokage of the village," he explained then looked down with sorrow._

"_Mind my rudeness 4th Hakage-sama, I did not know," she gave a bow._

"_It is fine," the blond man replied giving her a smile._

"_Now then, from the 3rd's eyes, I can see that the matter is no happy case. You've come to consult me is due to my son," the woman deduced and watched their heads nod._

"_It is quiet tonight," the 4th said looking up into the skies, "To us who live in Konoha, it is a nostalgic night, for we have been terrorized by a demon we call Kyubi."_

"_and what does this have to do with my son?" the woman turned her back to them and glanced back._

"_We can not slay it. We must seal it," the 4th said._

_The woman's eyes widened slightly then lowered them back down._

"_We wish to seal it in your son's body," the 4th finished._

"_Why…" she questioned._

"_You should know more about your son then we do," Sarutobi said, "Non of our own ninja's has the capability to keep such a beast within them for long. This is why we have come to consult you of the matter."_

"_Will he be harmed?" she asked._

"_We…are not certain," Sarutobi said and shot a sad glance to his companion, "It has never been done before."_

_A moment of silence came between the three. The sound of the wind echoed as it glided across the tops of the trees._

"_Very well, You…have my permission. I guess my son and I owe you this favor for taking him in. If he should die then I shall not blame you but rather be proud. Proud of him for saving the this kind village," She said as she looked to the ground beneath and gave a tiny smile._

"_Thank you," the two Hokage's gave a bow of appreciation._

_The woman returned the bow with a bow and waited for the two to rise before she straightened her back. "I must leave now," she said raising a hand, then disappeared without a rustle of the grass below her feet._

"_Sarutobi-Sensei…" the 4th spoke softly._

"_Yes?" answered the old man._

"_After I am gone, and if Naruto survives, then let him be as respected as I will be. I wish for him to be known as the hero of the village for carrying that beast within him. If he dies, then carve his name upon the stone of heroes along with his mothers. I know they are not from the Konoha village but…that is my final wish," he said, feeling the night wind rubbing against his face._

"_I shall do what I can," replied the third, watching the man with a mixed feeling of pride and sorrow for he knew that the next time the beast show it's face, shall be the last of the brave young man._

Naruto caught the diary in his hands and glanced upon its cover. The old hard shell had grew flexible and had a few wrinkles from place to place. He brushed his tears away from his eyes then fell silent as he tapped upon the top.

"Naruto…are you okay?" Sakura reached over with concern.

Silence.

"Na..ruto?" Sakura retrieved her hand to her chest.

The boy flung around and gave her a bright smile. "Of course I am! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I'm never sad!" he faked out a laugh, "Hey Tsunade- baachan, mind if I take this home to read it?"

Tsunade gave a surprised look then slid him a gentle smile, "Go ahead."

"Alright, later!" he answered energetically and dashed out the door.

Sakura took a chasing step but was caught on her arm by Sakuke with a shake of his head.

Later that day

The sun hung only few meters above the hills. It's light grew from white to yellow, to a light orange shade of where it was right then. It's rays sneaked in through the shut off blinds upon the young man's face in horizontal lines as he glanced difficultly at the journal. Each time his fingers reached down to the bindings to reveal its content, it pulled back.

"They probably found her and forced out the information," Tsunade's words came ringing back to his mind. 

'If they found her and that is why the Akatsuki wants me, does that mean that they…killed her?" he thought. He knew that if he was to open the cover, he would go to find her. The thought of her death brought fear upon his heart. He did not know what that was, he had never felt such kind of fear. No, he have. It was the same fear he received when he faced off against Gaara when he constricted Sakura upon that tree. For the past few hours, he had been on a stand off. His mind told him to open, while his emotions told him to stop.

He gave his head a shake then slapped himself hard across the face. With a final nod, he reached his hand upon the cover. The urge to pull back came as it did in the past countless attempts. He pit his lips hard, enough for a small trail of blood to trickle down and opened the book to the book marked page.

His eyes glanced through them quickly.

_March 3rd (Thursday) _

Naruto's mother replied to say that things were fine. She told me that she had gone to the country of waves and had asked me about the giant bridge with the familiar name. I told her about the journey of Kakashi team7's journey there. I'm sure she will be most proud.

A light smile rose upon the boy's face. He sat down upon his bed and began to read further down the date. With each page he turned, a small longing build in his heart, a longing to see her.

His smile quickly grew to questioning frown before it reached utter terror.

May 10 (Tuesday) 

The last letter I received from her was of most frightening. She has been found by her pursuers and is on the run. I have not received a letter from her in the past 42 days. I fear for the worst.

Naruto jolted from his seat and in the process, caught his finger on an out bulging screw. He shook his hand in pain and dropped the book upon the floor. A small droplet of blood landed upon a random page. It had a few strange letters and a circle at the center to where the blood landed.

He picked up the book nervously, checking for any damage. Then, a sudden glow erupted from the circle. The Kanji "Gen" appeared within the circle. In surprise, Naruto dropped the book from his hands to the floor once more and took a few steps back. A sudden flash of light blinded his eyes before all went silent again.

"naruto…NARUTO…" a woman's voice came to his ears. He slowly got off from the hard floor of his room and rubbed his eyes.

"Naruto," the voice called gently once more.

He opened his eyes as they took a while to get back into focus. A young woman smiled before him. "Who are you…" he asked.

"I am you're mother," she laughed.

End…

How was it? I'm not very good with titles, I know. I hope it wasn't too bad. For those of you that guessed the meaning of "Gen" You know what's going on. What kind of things will Naruto find out? More to come!

Kitsune Itai: I try my best lol.

Daniel of Lorein: Next chapter will determin how much people will like this then lol. His mother's character will be revealed. BUT, the story is far from over. This won't be too short of a fic.

Shina-lim: Thank you, I didn't know a good plot for a Naruto story before so I didn't write one. I hope this is good, sounded good to me atleast. ;

Mijare: See, I don't have an editor, well, I do but he rarely reads my fic. I apologize for the confusion. By the way, what does AU stand for? I think I know what it means but just want to make sure.

Mithriltitan: I'm glad you like it. Thank you very much.

Aikuchi Shikaku: Don't worry, this isn't a one shot by far. If anything, I'm hoping it won't become another novel lol.

MelanieStar: Do I know you? I can't guess who you are from your name, sorry. I'm very happy that you thought my story was good. I hope you liked this chapter as much as the last one


	3. Uzumaki Kaito

Ch3

"speech"

'Thought'

Uzumaki Kaito

Under any circumstance is a ninja allowed to show his emotions.

A young boy walked solemnly through the space that formed amongst the crowds as they whispered and eyed the tiny figure. He frowned and lowered his brow with rage. 'It's always those same eyes.' He hissed through his grinding teeth and picked up his pace slightly. The boy squeezed his eyelids shut, trying desperately to keep his tears locked within and dashed forward. It was no use, they pushed through the seal the skin and rolled down from the edge of his eyes, gliding through the air after it got blown from the wind created by his running.

_His eyes opened to find a wall of trees that circled him. Things were quiet. Not a voice seeped through the dense vegetation, not a cry of disgust, not a gasp of torment. Silence has become a form of heaven for the lad. He sat down against a large trunk of a tree and pulled his knees to his chest. 'They hate me…why me…Well I'll show them, I'm going to be the next Hokage!' He clentched his fist and stood up, sticking his chest high into the air, "You just watch Konoha! Someday, I will be the next Hokage! If that is what I must do for other's to accept me, then that is what I shall do!" he exclaimed._

_Despite the way others treated him, he never cursed nor waved his fist with anger. He did occasionally protest up front but never put criticism upon anyone in the village when he was alone. He had made the goal of his life, his Nindou, to be recognized and accepted by everyone in the village._

_With a determined eye, he pulled out his Kunai and threw it upon a tree before him. It bounced off, landing upon the dried leaves with a crinkle. He narrowed his eyes and picked up the dagger and threw it once more. Again it bounce off pathetically._

_A figure stood in the shadows of the leaves as it watched with amusement at the boy. With a smile, it faded away. Hours passed and day had been broken by night. The stars danced upon the night sky as the clanking sound of the bouncing kunai echoed through the song of the crickets. Sweat poured from the tiny boy's head as he swayed from side to side. His vision was beginning to blur but he refused to stop. Raising his quivering arm, he gave everything he had with another through. The dagger flopped from side to side then hit the wood from it's side, again landing to the floor. "Why! Why can't I do this? Even though I'm trying so hard, why!" he demanded to the heavens. No answer came._

_His unusually large stamina was now running. His right arm dangled uselessly from his shoulder as it twitched momentarily from exhaustion. He gripped another kunai with his left. Holding his breath, he tossed the object forward, using his entire body to support him in his through and fumbled face first upon the ground beneath. He had hit his head heavily but he felt no pain. Rather, he couldn't feel any pain he did not feel already. Every inch of his body grew sore as he allowed himself to relax slightly on the cold earth. He gave a slight groan then looked up. A surprised smile rose upon his face as he found the weapon, stuck sharply upon the target. With one last glance, he closed his eyes, feeling satisfied with a good day's work and drifted off into slumber._

_The figure returned and walked up to the boy. Her blossom-covered cloak seemed to glow silver as it reflected the light of the crescent moon. She leaned over with a smile then gave him a kiss upon his cheek. Standing back up, she looked down sorrowfully and disappeared into the night._

_The boy woke up the next day, feeling renewed and more energetic then ever. He rubbed his eyes and smiled brightly at the morning sun. The sweet clean air tasted extra delicious as he turned to admire his achievement from the past night. Indeed, the kunai was just where he left it last night, stuck into the tree. _

_A river ran near by and he decided to make his way there to wash his face. He noticed a small red tinge upon the side of his cheek as he peeped into the water he collected in his hand. Dropping the content, he swiped the colored area with his index finger. "What the heck is this?" he looked upon the substance questioningly. With a shrug, he collected another handful of the fluid and splashed upon his face._

"you're my mother?" the young man confirmed.

"Indeed I am Naruto," the woman smiled.

Naruto scanned her quickly. A feeling of excitement and uncertainty flustered inside. He raised himself up off the floor, keeping his eyes upon the smiling woman.

Her milky white skin seemed tender and delicate while her stature appeared strong. Her long black hair came down to her slender waist that curved perfectly to her thigh that led to her long legs. There was a certain beauty to her that Naruto couldn't help but notice and blush. Her rose petal lips curved smoothly upward as she watched the boy leniently. She held the same eyes as the boy's, the same light blue sparkle, the same glimmering texture.

"Hello Naruto, I only with that I could see you right now of what you really look like," she woman sighed.

It took the dumbfounded ninja a slight moment before he realized what was going on. 'Genjutsu?(illusion)' he thought in his mind.

"That's right, this is a genjutsu. I made this to tell you a small bit about me…and your father," she explained.

Tears rushed from his eyes as he leapt forward and embraced her tightly. How long has it been that he had cried like so. Tears that he concealed under his smile throughout the years was now bursting into the open. He knew she wasn't real, he didn't care. The only thing that mattered to him was that she was there.

He has never seen her in his life, at least does not remember ever seeing her in his life. Yet, something about her seemed awkwardly familiar to the young man. Her smell, her smile…the color of her lipstick, everything gave him a warm feeling inside. It was the same feeling one gets after coming home from a long journey multiplied to infinity. He never felt anything like it before and he liked it.

The woman patted her son's head. "I'm sorry to make you cry Naruto," she whispered.

Pushing away and brushing his tears, he pouted. "I ain't crying. It's just dust in my eye from the shock of seeing you," he denied.

The woman gave a smile and grimed to the stiff headed ninja. She looked no more than her mid twenties, more like the boy's sister than his mother. "Naruto," she said with certain emphasis.

He sat down on his bed and gave her his attention.

"My name is Misaki Yoriko," she begun, "I am a traveler, never belonged to any one particular country. Your father was named, Uzumaki Kaito. He was an energetic man, just like you. Your seemingly endless stamina and chakura is a bloodline limited incase you did not know that already. After meeting him, I settled in the country of lightning for him." She paused for a while she bit her lip and she sighed, "Your father use to be a gentle soul. Despite how other's treated him, he didn't fight back. It was shortly after you were born that he…'had enough'."

Flash Back

"_Sweet heart, please!" the young woman begged, holding his waist on her knees._

"_Why should I!" the man shouted, "I worked hard, I completed all my missions with flying colors, for god sake I saved the country from certain war, and they still refuse to accept me as equals."_

"_Who cares what they think," she exclaimed, "I know that you're a great person, isn't that good enough for you?" _

"_I could wiped out this country by myself if I wanted to," he glared, "Those pathetic idiots, I've had enough of all this! If society will not accept me then I shall not accept it either." He said pushing the door open._

"_I know you're upset about your father's passing but it's not their fault!" she cried._

"_He was killed Yoriko! He was killed by this screwed up society that treated him worse than a mangy cur. If one person could care enough to bring him to a hospital when he collapsed on that market, he might still be alive! The damn bastards…" he clenched his fist._

"_You aren't…You can't! What about your son," she choked as tears spilled from her eyes._

_He looked back to the cradle where a baby slept with a sad appearance. Shaking his head, he stepped out coldly. Only anger showed in his eyes. He pulled out his Kunai and with one swishing motion; he made a diagonal slash upon his forehead protector and jumped away._

_(Three Days later)_

_Fire enveloped the village of lightning as cries of warriors rang through the air._

"_It's Kaito!" screams erupted across the village._

"_What is the meaning of this!" demanded Raikage (I don't know if there is one. This is my AU so there is one lol)_

"I've had enough of this pathetic country. Non of these morons can fight and I am the one looked down upon, I am the one that has to be called 'The Freak of Nature?"

_The Raikage stuttered for a moment. He knew what the man said was true, he could not say anything in his people's defense. "If you must go on like this, then I will be forced to step in."_

_Kaito faced the Raikage as fires of rage continued to burn in his vision. Precipitate built under his short blond hair. A blue aura surrounded his figure which slowly increased in size as he prepared himself for the up coming battle. He no longer felt pain for others. He no longer understood despair. He had now become…a true ninja._

_(Time passes)_

_A loud explosion was heard before complete silence filled the air. The Great Ninja of Lightning Country laid upon the ground, gasping deeply as blood trickled from the wound on his head. Before him stared a emotionless face of a man. "Kaito, you've lost your soul…" groaned Raikage and reached up for the man. With one final gasp, his arm fell to the floor. Kaito took one final glance at the dead figure, then the catastrophic scene of his surrounding before he walked out of the village._

_The moon hung directly overhead when he reached an opening from the woods he walked through. It was a warm night, warmer than a typical fall night despite the light overcast above. He looked down with slight sadness in his eyes remembering the screams of men he slaughtered. There was no turning back, he was a run-away nin and that is how he will remain for however long the duration of his life may be._

_His steps stopped abruptly as he slid his hand to his Kunai tied around his waist. "What do you want," he called behind into the empty darkness._

"_hm hm hm, so you knew I was following you, impressive," a voice rang through._

"_If you do not wish to die, you will take your leave immediately," Kaito narrowed his eyes._

"_and if I refuse?" the voice answered in a mocking tone._

"_Then…" he flipped his wrist and tossed his weapon back. His body remained perfectly still._

_(Catch)_

"_You managed to precisely locate me with only the sound of my voice, I'm impressed once more," the voice chuckled._

_Kaito turned around as he readied another Kunai in a defensive position. "What do you want with me?" he demanded._

"_Lower your weapon, I merely wish to speak with you," the voice continued to chuckle._

_Irritation began to sweep Kaito's head but he remained calm. He lowered his Kunai but continued to keep his guard up. "Speak quickly," he shouted._

_A short hobbit-like man walked with a cool grin across his face from the darkness. A large Japanese sombrero hid away his eyes. He breathed out slowly behind his black cloak, decorated by a few blossom flowers and a ring circled around his finger with a character that Kaito could not make out in the dim light of the night._

"_My name is Samegi Kouse and I've noticed your astonishing performance back in the country of lightning," he chuckled and clapped his hands slowly. "I wish for you to join our clan."_

"_which is…"_

"_Akatsuki, we only consist of a few members but all are quite exceptional. The society refer to us as… 'Freaks of Nature' if you understand. Our goal? Simply put it is to obtain more power, to create the ultimate clan of ninjas."_

_A spark of interest flared in Kaito's mind as he relaxed his muscles and breathed out heavily. 'This clan consists of people just like me…perhaps I should go with them' he thought, 'These people may…understand me.'Despite his skills he already has, Kaito had always wanted more. But, there was an ambition in him that made him believe that no matter how much power he had, it was never enough. It was this dark side of him underneath that was the true motivation. _

"_Very well, I shall come with you," he nodded._

_End…_

How was it? Did you like it? For all that's still wondering, Gen was the first character of the word Genjutsu meaning illusion. This illusion was left by Naruto's mother long ago and she is telling Naruto the story of what happened through a…story. Naurto is not being shown the flash back but he is listening to it from his mother's words.

Sorry this chapter took a while, I just came back from my Spring Break vacation.

Daniel of Lorien: I like to stick out of the crowed, lol. If I make his father the 4th, I'll have to follow some general history of the 4th and I didn't want that.

Shina-lim: Thanks, glad you like it.

Melaniestar: Love your story, it's got a neat twist to it

Kawaiineziumi: This chapter was more about his father but next chapter, you'll see how "I" linked these…incidents to the anime

Genei Ryodan's Shizuku: Haha, compared to "The worst" naruto fic. I guess I should be flattered. Thank you for your generous review, I'll do my best in future chaps too

Nine Tailed Vixen: I hope you get what's going on now. Sorry if it was a bit confusing. Glad you like it

Please continue to support my writing if you like it. This is my first Naruto fic so I'm quite nervous about it

All reviews are well appreciated.


	4. Restored Faith

Ch4

Note: I'm not sure if I mentioned this in the previous chapter or not, but Kaito's house is not in the lightning village. It is a bit out ward in a hills close by, but still part of the lightning country. Sorry if I didn't put that down.

"Speech"

'Thought'

Restored Faith

_A teenager walked down the road whistling a familiar tune. To both sides, it was enclosed by a wall of rusty fences. One would wonder what was still keeping them up, considering the crumbling bolts and nails that poked its head out on the hinges and the crispy metal with poke-a-dot hole as its decoration, it was a miracle that it was still staying up. A small girl was singing joyfully as she bounced a ball up and down on the pavement._

_A sudden crack was heard in the ally which was quickly followed by the screams of the metal as it bent it's way down, breaking away from it's bindings. Kaito's eyes widened as he dashed to the girl. With the sudden excitement, he forgot to contain his chakura. He knocked the piece of metal high into the air but at the same time, blowing the young girl a short distance away. A man in the distance came around the corner as the girl slided to his feet. Looking up, he shouted after finding the dumbfounded teen with his fist raised into the air, "You did this!"_

"_Yes, but I was just…" he stuttered._

_People began to gather as they heard the commotion._

"_You hit this girl?" the man asked in disgust._

"_Well no, I mean yes, but I wasn't…" he tried to explain as he watched uneasily at the girl who was crying in pain after hitting her arm upon the hard pavement._

"_There you go, he admits it! You punk, why don't you pick on someone your own size!" the man shouted with anger as he held the girl in his arms, rubbing her arm._

"_Hey, isn't that the kid with that weird bloodline limit?" someone in the crowed murmured._

"_I think it is. Damn freak of nature, he thinks his better than all of us," the murmur continued. Kaito took a few steps back, looking back an forth at the chattering that went on._

"_I didn't…"he whispered, "I was trying to…"_

"_A monster is what he is," a woman's voiced sounded through, piercing painfully into the boy's ears._

"_Yea, and picking on little kids, how horrible,"_

"_I'm not…" he murmured._

"_His a monster,"_

"_I'm not…" he continued to back away, hitting himself upon the rusty wall._

"_A monster!"_

"_I'm NOT!" he shouted. Just then, the metal sheet he had hit up into the air fall back down to just behind the crowed of people with a loud crash._

_Screams went up into the air as people scattered for their lives. "Run for it! His attacking!" they warned._

_Kaito dashed away into the woods. The same woods he had gone to since he was a boy. It was the silence he loved, silence that had become…his sanctuary._

"_Hello?" a voice sounded through the trees, startling the angry teen._

"_Who's there!" he demanded._

_A blond haired boy, roughly his age walked out with a smile. "Hello, I am just a Genin from Konoha." The boy answered._

'_Oh, right. This forest is shared between the country of fire and lightning.' "What do you want?" he said with a slight tinge of annoyance._

"_Hey, I didn't mean to startle you. I just saw you all alone here with a sad expression on your face so I came to see if you were alright," he said backing away._

_Kaito opened his eyes realizing his rude tone. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that so roughly. It's just that things haven't been going to great for me lately and I was in a pissy mood," he apologized._

"_It's fine, what were you doing out here all alone?" he asked._

"_This is where I come to get some piece and quiet," he replied, then shifting his glance at him he added quickly, "But it's nice to have someone to talk to too form time to time."_

"_I see," nodded the young man._

"_This place's quiet lets me cool down and practice my jutsu and stuff." He smiled._

"_Practice your Jutsu huh, speaking of which, my teacher just taught me an awesome new jutsu. Wanna see it?" said the blond haired teen proudly._

"_Sure," Kaito replied interested at what he had to show._

"_Alright, I'm still not every good at it but I can sort of get the basics of it," he said licking his lips as he held his palm out as though he was holding a ball._

'_Amazing, his focusing all his chakura into that hand!' a glow began to appear, 'Wow, is that…his chakura? It's spinning…not in one but all directions.'_

_The blond's eyes opened wide then cracked an, "uh oh."_

_The next thing he knew, Kaito was shoved back by an enormous gust of wind as he landed heavily on his rump._

"_Sorry, I still need work," apologized the Konoha rookie._

"_Wow, that was amazing! How did you do that? Wicked!" exclaimed Kaito as he bounced back up._

"_Well, you start by collecting chakura on your palm. Then you put a round layer of chakura and concentrate everything you have to the inside of the layer and make it spin in all directions, then you..oh I think I said too much, heh heh," he laughed and stuck his hands in his pocket._

"_Man, that was an awesome jutsu, it looked really cool," he said raising his hands, "Yo, show me it again man!"_

"_Alright, let's see," the blond haired boy readied his hand once more._

_He began to focus but was quickly broken by another older man's voice. "There you are you little brat, what did I tell you about going off alone!" the voice shouted._

"_Yeep, busted!" the boy said turning to face his tooter to see the grinding teeth and the angry glare._

"_I told you, this half is part of the lightning country. Even if we are allies, it does not mean you can just wonder around like that," the man lectured as he dragged the protesting teen's arms back out through the trees._

"_Come on Jiraiya-sensei, you worry too much. I'm gonna be the next Hokage someday and when that happens, I'll go where I want to when I want to and there will be nothing you can do about it!" he pouted._

"_Ha, you as hokage huh, that's something I'd like to see," laughed his teacher._

_Kaito watched the too leave as he scratched his head. Then with sudden realization as he extended his arm, "Wait, I didn't catch your…name," 'His gone…'_

A woman looked up toward the bars where the wind glided through, blowing softly upon her hair. Glancing back at the sleeping baby, she stood up and moved to the sound nervously. The sun is yet to beep its glow from behind the mountains though it's light crusted over the rise and fall of the terrain, transforming the pitch black sky to shade of blue. 'Who could that be at this hour?' she wondered as she grasped the handle of her door. She noticed a flickering orange glow from the crack of her door, her eyes widened. Carefully, she placed one year upon the door, keeping her hand on the knob. A mob of people's growling was heard from behind.

Jumping back, she dashed for her baby. 'Kaito, I didn't think you could actually do it… What ever happened to you…' she thought as a single drop of tear fell from her cheap upon the baby's forehead.

"Where is she!" a man slammed against the door in rage, "Her husband killed my brother and I shall have my revenge today!"

"Here, Here!" another villager shouted in agreement.

"Break the door down!" a woman called.

"Yea, enough waiting around, we can't let the woman, nor that monster she calls her son be left alive! If we do, that brat may grow up one day and become another Kaito!" said a man, forcing his way to the front.

A roar of agreement echoed through the trees which was quickly followed by a heavy blow against the door.

Yoriko looked back and embraced the young one in her arms slightly tighter. Reaching the second floor window, she took a few steps back and with a thrust from her legs, she kicked the window and broke through as she curled the baby under her chest to prevent it from harm.

The villiger's eyes turned to the source of shattering glass. "There she is! Get her!" they pointed. Narrowing her eyes, Yoriko dropped two small balls. Upon contact to the ground, it exploded into a cloud of smoke. A few coughs rose throught the crowed and when the sound stopped, she was gone.

(Few Month Passes)

"Kaito, Wake up! Time for us to go for our next target," a short man nudged the sleeping figure violently.

Kaito rose swiftly as though he had been awake the entire time. "Very well, what next?" he asked.

"In the country of mist, I hear there is a very interesting item. It is known as the wave striker, an almighty sword forged many years ago. They say one slash can cut through a path across an ocean. Though I do not believe in such fairytale myth, the sword is made of an unknown material which makes it nearly indestructible, remember, this is still part of your test. Your last and final test, it shall decide your outcome. Do this successfully and you shall be eligible to join our clan," he said coldly.

"Sounds interesting enough," Kaito replied with confidence and motioned to the door of their crib.

"One more thing," Samegi called, Kaito glanced back, "Kill who ever that gets in your way." He said with a smirk.

Kaito lowered his brow and looked down pensively for a split second before giving a silent nod as he walked out the door.

(Back with Yoriko)

Sweat poured from her head as she made her way swiftly through the forest. She had been on a constant run, each time she tried to escape from the border, she was discovered by guards. She had been living in a world of hiding as many seeked her day and night. When she finally escaped from that danger zone, it felt as though the world has been lifted from her shoulders. A sign up ahead caught her eyes as she jumped off from her route upon the branches to the sign below.

"Now Entering The Country of Mist"

"I think this may be a good place to start over," she said to the baby in her arm as he snuggled into her chest. She smiled gently, then taking a deep breath, walked across the border.

The trip she started in the morning had now come to night. The calls of the owl can be heard strong against the silent darkness. Her eyes spotted a familiar glow from the darkened abyss. 'The light of a house, perhaps they will let me stay.'

(knock Knock)

The door creaked open as an old man walked out, sticking his walking stick out front with a bent back as he made his way out. "Yu..Yuriko!" he gasped, "He ma, Yuriko's home!"

Yoriko was stunned at the man's reaction then took notice of another old woman making her way to the door as fast as her old bones could carry her. "Yuriko? Is can't be you!" she called happily.

"I'm sorry dear sir, buy my name is Yoriko," she smiled sadly, "I am a wonderer, here hoping to…seek a new life and wish for you to let us stay for the night," she explained.

"Oh, I see.." the old man looked down painfully, "we?"

"Yes, my son and I," she said revealing the baby she cacooned in her arms with sheets.

"sure, please come in," he invited.

(Inside)

The elderly woman looked up and squinted her eyes as the three made their way down the wall to the tatami room. "My dear, you look exactly like her," she awed.

"This Yuriko, who might she be?" asked Misaki.

"She is our grand daughter," the old man answered, "We…have not seen her for years which we have lost count of." They enter the Tatami room"That is her right there," he points to a photo.

Yoriko's eyes widened with shock, it was almost as though looking into a mirror. The same hair color, same cheek bone, even the same glimmer in their eyes.

"She is a Kunoichi," the old man continued, "The best in this country. She had been declared a heroin in numerous occasions as she saved us, the people, in numerous times. Now, the only thing we have to remember her by is that sword," he pointed under the photo. There, lay a blue sword. It's crescent shape curved eloquently from the handle to the sheath as a few sparkles of gold and silver peeped it's way through the intricate wrapping on the handle.

Yoriko could not help but ran her fingers against the sword with all it's radiance. "May I?" she asked.

"Be my guest," replied the old man.

Setting her baby down gently on the floor, she took the blade in her hand. It was unusually light for a blade. As she pulled the sword from it's sheeth, the metal reflected the dim light of the room so well that it nearly made it look like it glowed itself. A brilliant wave ran down the edge of the blade, fusing smoothly to a straight point.

"Do you polish this often?" she asked.

"Not at all, we have never done anything to the blade since the day she brought it to us," replied the old man.

"Astonishing, simply remarkable," she said with envy.

"She told us it is the blade that had been part of this country since it began. A wise shinobi made it from some sort of rare crystal to slay a demon. Lengend says that he sealed his chakura within the blade before he passed away and the one who shall tap into that power shall be invincible," the old man explained.

"Fascinating," was Yoriko's one word reply of amazement.

"But that is just superstition, besides, it is said that it takes a great amount of energy to tap into that power and no one has been able to do it so far. Not even the best of our shinobis," the old man replied.

(Knock Knock Knock)

"Could that be more travelers?" the old woman said looking to the door. She pushed the door open slowly. Two figures stood before her, darkly cloaked, tall and broad. Yoriko peeped her head from the room after returning the blade to its original position.

The man pushed himself in and moved to the room in the back. "What do you want!" the old man demanded.

"I seek the sword," he replied.

'That voice, could it be…' Yoriko squinted her eyes, trying to take a better look at the man's face but against the darkness she could not see any clear features.

She jumped out, pulling a Kunai from her leg pocket and readied it in a defensive position. "I can not allow you to do that!" she said firmly.

The man twitched at her voice slightly, 'I know that voice,' he thought but dismissed the thought be remembering his objective. "Do not test me, or you shall perish," he chuckled.

"Try me," She replied with a smirk.

Without warning, the figure of the man disappeared from their eyes. It was pure instinct when Yoriko felt a presence to her back as she jumped up with a spin kick. The cloaked man blocked it easily and held two fingers to his lips as he chanted a phrase. With one final mumble he shouted, "Raiton! Rairyu…" It was then he saw the woman's hair slide from her face to reveal her identity and caught himself. "yo…Yoriko…" he gasped.

She landed lightly with a surprised look upon her face, "Kaito…what are you…"

He turned his head bitterly, "I came to get the sword," he said quickly and walked into the room. Eyeing the sword on the stand he motioned for it. His reach was stopped by a figure of a woman, glaring with eyes mixed with anger, sadness, and nostalgic love. "Stand aside, Yoriko," he ordered.

"No, I can not let you take this sword, it is not something for you to have," she stood her ground. 'At least, not the you right now…' she thought sadly.

"I will not as you again Yoriko, stand aside!" he ordered, this time slightly raising his volume.

"I will not!" she answered.

The old couple stood and watched as they quivered with fear, both for themselves and the brave woman that was sticking up for them's lives. Even though they wanted to ask about who the man was and how is it that he knows her, they kept their mouth shut.

"This is a test to see if you're eligible to join our clan. It is your last and final test. Kill all whoever that get's in your way," the words of Samegi echoed in his ears. 

He raised his hands and focused his chakura to the palm. A orb appeared in the center as streaks of blue swirled inside rapidly. He narrowed his eyes and pulled back his hands.

"Are you really going to do it?" Yoriko said.

His eyes popped open and he bit his lips. "Move..Aside..Yoriko!" he demanded once more and lowered his body, ready to thrust.

"Have you really gone so low as to kill me? Well do what you must but I want you to remember this…I still love you," she said and shut her eyes.

Kaito looked at the woman's face, relaxed and unafraid. His eyes took in her beauty that they hadn't seen since the day of his leave. He shifted his weight forward, the woman's face tensed, with one final sigh, he closed his palm. The baby looked intently at the scene before him, even he seemed to be able to see the sorrow within the two's heart as he frowned underneath his wrappings.

"Kaito…" Yoriko whispered as she opened her eyes, then showed a relieved smile. 'Thank you,' she said in her mind to the heavens, 'for restoring my faith.'

Without a word, he turned and walked speedily to the door.

"Kaito!" she called. The door opened and he dashed out.

After retrieving her thoughts, she ran after him, hoping to get a few last words before he leaves. Her steps came to a quick stop when she found the man she seeked, standing with his back to the door, glaring at a dark small figure before him.

"What's the meaning of this Kaito? I told you to get the sword!" the small figure pointed back to the house.

"And I have chosen to refuse," he said.

"You refuse and you shall never be allowed to return to our clan," the figure snarled.

"The hell with your clan, I don't care anymore," he shouted.

Yoriko stood at the foyer, confused about what she was seeing.

"Fine, then I'll get it," Samegi shifted to the side, "and while I'm at it, I think I'll have a little fun too," he added seeing the woman peeping through the door.

Kaito's eyes widened then jumped infront. "I won't let you do that!" he declared.

"Oh really?" he smirked as he flicked a small pellet toward the house.

Kaito's eyes shot open. "Get down! He shouted as he dashed for the house.

(Fshooot)

A trail of fire erruped from the tiny pellet and engulfed the house. Yoriko backed away from the front door then ran for the first thing that came to her mind. "Naruto!" she screamed.

End…

I decided to end it here because it's getting late and this will still go on for a while.

Only 1 review? I didn't think chapter3 was that horrible(cries) If you think this story lacks in something the please tell me so that my future chapters can be better for you to read.

Thank you MelanieStar for you generous review

Next Chapter will be final chapter about Naruto's dad. If there are confusing areas of the story where you find that it isn't connecting, that is because I plan to make it all connect on the next chapter. I hope you liked this one and will look forward to the next as well


	5. GoodByes

Ch5

(This chapter is just continuing off the last chapter so sorry there isn't a flash back in the beginning. I hope that don't turn anyone off lol. Without further a due, here is chapter 5!)

"speeches"

'Thoughts'

Good-Byes

Flames licked the skies as its crimson light lit the night with its demonic radiance. Birds flew in flocks, screaming an ear piercing shriek into the few that listened in the cabin. The roaring of the fire echoed deeply into the woods, brining fear upon the sleeping beasts it woke as many ran off to the opposite direction of the orange glow. Rustling of the broad tall trees were all that one could see of the chaos that was erupting in his thick dense forest.

"Yoriko!" Kaito reached an arm to the burning structure as thought he could grab the one he loved. 'She'll be fine,' he thought, calming his nerves. Turning his head back, his eyes flared with sudden rage. "You bastard!" he shouted to the snickering figure, "Your objective is the sword, not the ones of the house!"

"The sword? The sword meant nothing! We were told that there was a very tough Kunoichi that guarded that sword by the name of Yuriko. We sent you here to fight her, not for some stupid mythical blade that can't do a thing but gloat in other's eyes," he chuckled.

'Did he just say Yoriko, or did I hear wrong?' he thought as his eyes twitched slightly.

A baby's cry sounded in against the crackles of fire as it speedily made it's way down the hall. The old building were fully made of lumber and dried hay, almost like a well belt camp fire. Every corner, every inch was able to fuel this inferno ever higher into the sky. "Naruto!" Yoriko cried as she dashed her way, chasing the flames to it's destination as they brushed against her skin. 'Damn it, I'm not going to make it!' she thought trying to pull her legs faster only to receive more desperation as they refused her command. She held her hands to her chest, 'tori, hitsuji, saru, lyu, inu' "Suiton, Sui Liu Sen (Translation: Element Water, Hydro Flow…I guess, sounds bad in English lol)

A stream of water erupted from her hands that she held against her chest. Only minimal amount could be made as the fire had dried up most of the vapors in the air but it was enough to get her the lead. She zoomed through the door and grabbed the crying child. Looking back, the fire continued its path, relentlessly in pursuit. 'Damn it.' She cursed, 'Let this work one more time!' "Suiton…SUI..LIU ..SEN!" she shouted, this time aim directly above her. Only a small stream of water was conjured this time. It dropped it's way down, soaking her and her child down to her waist. Taking a small breath, she made jumped against the flames.

"help us…' a weak cry of an old man came. She halted her steps at the sound and looked around. Looking back, she could see the two figures, curled into a corner of the house while flame circled around.

"Are you alright?" she called.

"I am fine but my wife, I think she broken her ankle," the old man replied.

She took a quick look at the baby who was snuggling into her chest and felt the water, lifting quickly off her skin, then turned back to the old couple. Swallowing her saliva with a loud gulp, she made her run to the old couple.

She baby began to squirm from his binding, uncomfortable from the heat. He managed to pull his arms out and clapped them happily at his achievement. He looked at his mother's tired face and at the warm light that surrounded him. Did he know what was going on or was it just an invisible link between his mother's troubled face to his heart that made him frown as he spun his head back and forth in search for an exit.

Yoriko bent down, breathing heavily from her exhaustion. Sweat has now replaced the water that had nearly dried completely. "Place her upon my back, and we shall make a run for it!" she ordered.

"R..right!" the old man replied as he picked up the groaning woman and gently brought her to Yoriko's back. The young mother looked up through her bangs nervously. Only a wall of inferno could be detected through her vision. 'Damn it, I don't think I can make it. Is there still enough moisture in the air for another one? I have no choice, I must try!'

The baby looked up with concern in his eyes as he extended his palm. 'Here goes nothing,' Yoriko thought as she closed her eyes. "Get back, I'm going to give this everything I have!" she ordered. The old man followed and turned his back behind her and held his head.

"Suiton…" She shouted with a brief pause to catch her breath. Just then, a small glow erupted upon the child's palm. The glow formed itself into an orb. The child gave a small smile. "Sui Liu Sen!" she finished off. The child was caught off guard by the woman's sudden second shout as he 'lost his focus' and the orb popped, creaking a burst of strong wind that shot in all directions, knocking his mother off balance and the surrounding fire to a quarter of it's original height.

Yoriko opened her eyes with astonishment, 'Did I just do that?' she questioned herself. Then flipping back to reality, she stood up with some difficulty and made her dash. The old man ran close by, as fast as he could, all the while looking at the results of this… powerful move the young maiden had just released. He wanted to compliment but seeing the situation, he decided to keep his mouth shut.

The sound of the attention caught the two outside's attention. 'What was that sound, was that Yoriko? But that sounded almost like…' Kaito glanced back but quickly returned his gaze upon his target.

'What was that? Amazing, all that fire just nearly died out with only the force of wind,' Samegi raised an eyebrow.

Yoriko bursted out from the front door, collapsing to the floor, exhausted both mentally and physically.

"Yoriko, are you alright!" Kaito called behind him.

"I'm…fine…just need to…catch my breath," she smiled with a wink.

"How touching, you've developed a relation with that Kunoichi even though you just met her," Samegi chuckled.

"I did not just meet her, she is my wife!" he replied angrily, "And I will not allow you to harm her!"

'Kaito…' Yoriko was at a loss for words. A tiny smile found its way upon her face as she looked upon the man who stood before her. 'Have you come back?' she thought.

"Samegi, now that you know that Kunoichi isn't here, you can take your leave as well. You have no need for the sword, do you not?" Kaito glared.

"On contraire, this was my test as well. I was to try to find a new recruit. So far, you were the only one that had managed to come this far. I had high hopes for you dear Uzumaki, you held every potential and I will not lose you now! You will come with me and you WILL be a part of our clan!" his voice grew slightly in agitation.

"I will not! I thought your clan would understand me for who I am. I thought your clan would help me be a better shinobi. A shinobi is different from just a murder machine. A shinobi is a tool and tools are meant to be used to help society. Your clan…is just despicable," he spat.

"Thank you for the lecture, but if you will not come with me willingly, I'll drag you there myself!" Samegi said with his voice suddenly turning cold . He raised his arms, pulling back the long sleeves of his cloak to reveal two scissor claws which glowed red against the firry light.

"You can try," Kaito replied, narrowing his eyes and blocking out all others but his opponent.

Samegi lunged forward, pointing his weapon at Kaito's chest. Kaito shifted to the side, dodging the attack with ease, then lowering his standing, he put in everything he had into his punch as he engulfed it into to his attacker's stomach. A redish substance landed upon his arm from Samegi's mouth. He glanced upon it with a small snicker but it quickly changed as the body began to mush into mud, trapping his arm within it. His eyes widened as a breeze chilled the back of his neck. A claw swung down, cutting him across his back hard, leaving three slashes. Samegi's eyes widened as a cloud of purple smoke began to erupt from the cut and jumped back, noticing a chunk of wood which have replaced his target.

"Clever indeed, using red paint to add more realism into your kawarimi, if I didn't know you better to have fallen for an easy attack such as that, I would have been gone for sure," a laugh sounded from behind him.

Samegi returned to his stature with a smile, "And you, to place poison within your kawarimi was most intriguing indeed."

'His quick, and quiet at that. He managed to suppress his presence completely in such a time.' Kaito narrowed his eyes, 'But I know my speed should be a bit above his. If I fight cautionsly, I'm sure I can get him.'

'Hmm, his a bit faster than I am. It looks like a direct attack would just be a waist of my energy. His bloodline already puts him at an advantage over me with his endless well of chakura, I'm going to need to land the first hit if I am to win…but how…' Samegi's eyes landed on a particular figure as a evil smirk aroused upon his face, 'Yes, her…she is an excellent lure.' With a final humph, he lunged forward at him once more.

Narrowing his eyes, Kaito readied himself in a defensive stance. Samegi raised his claws furiously as he screamed his battle cry and lowered his claw. Kaito raised one arm to block while pulling back his other into a fist and prepared for retaliation. His eyes widened as he noticed a fade in the claw. 'An illusion!' He immediately looked around to find where the real figure was.

Samegi charged a small distance to the left as he waved with a smirk. 'The bastard! His going after Yoriko!' Kaito cursed as he jumped off from his position to his wife. 'Damn it, make it , make it, mak it!'

Yoriko looked up as her eyes flashed open with shock. She tried to jump but her body was still too tired for a quick getaway. Looking back, fear decorated her pupils as the sharp tip of the blades reflected its firry glow into her eyes.

A gasp exploded from lips as blood spilled upon her face from a tall figure before her. Kaito was standing before her with a sorrowful smile. Her eyes slowly tracked it's way down, only to bring another gasp to her lips as she found three blades piercing through his abdomin. Blood rolled freely from his wound as he gave a cough of pain. "You're…okay…" he gave a weak laugh.

"Kaito…" Yoriko whispered still in a state of shock as tears began to flow from her cheeks.

"My claw will cut through anything. It is embedded into my hand, forged from a special alloy of metal capable of shredding steel like a paper. The soft meat of your body didn't even let me feel like there was something there," Samegi chuckled as he licked the blood from the side of his cheek.

"Is that so…" Kaito narrowed his eyes as he took grasp of the man's hand and held it tightly.

"What are you!" Samegi tried to pull his hand free but failed miserably. The tiny hobbit raised his other claw to attack but was quickly cut off by a shove as his blades glided it's way back out Kaito's body. Kaito turned with a spin kick, landing it hard on the small figure's face with a bang. Hardening his grip, he readied his other palm.

Hesitation ran its way up Samegi's back, "W..wait, you can't…you won't!" he trembled as he desperately tried to pull his arm free.

An Orb rotated it's way to the center of his palm, "It's too late!" Kaito shouted as he pushed the orb up against the assassin's chest.

A flash of white blinding light followed. Yoriko turned her head and blocked her eyes. When she opened them once more, she noticed that all was quiet. The fire had burnt out and now that the creatures of the night had ran off into hiding, all was quiet. Not a sound entered their ears.

A wheezing cough broke the silence. The short figure rolled over to get his face away from the ground, struggling for his next breath of air. Kaito walked over coldly, looking down at the dieing man as he held his open flesh with his left hand. His face did not twitch nor did any sign of his pane showed from his stature. His back straight, his breathing calm, but blood continued to trickle from his wound.

"Heh heh heh," Samegi laughed with difficulty.

"What's so funny?" Kaito demanded.

"You my dear Kaito. You do not know a thing do you,"

"Explain yourself!"

"I lied when I said that, that sword was junk. (Cough) The Kunoichi was true but the sword do indeed hold great power. With your chakura, (cough) the clan thought you may be able to bring that power to life. You will not live long with that wound upon you."

"How does that benefit you…"

"It does not, but your son is still alive. (Chuckle chuckle, cough)"

Kaito's eyes widened in realization to his topic.

"Yes…that's right. Your son, who holds the same bloodline ability as you do. Ha ha ha…ha…they're heerrreee…" With that final comment, his body relaxed and closed his eyes and allowed death to sweep him into darkness.

Three shadows walked calmly from a short distance away, all with the same grimacing smile upon their faces. Kaito spun his head around and waddled back to his wife.

"What's wrong Kaito?" she asked as she reached to his wound.

"Listen carefully, I want you to take Naruto and get the hell out of here!" he ordered.

"Are you coming with us?"

"No, I must stay here."

"Why?"

"Forgive me Yoriko…" (Looks down)

"Eh?"

"I got involved with a clan named Akatsuki. They wanted to use me to release the power of the sword. Now that I am…dieing…they are going to take Naruto. You must run, run as far from here as possible!"

"Die…NO, Come with us. We'll find you a hospital and get your wounds healed. All you gotta do is hold on!"

"No, I can't! It will be certain demise for all of us if we do so!" (Turning his head to the old couple) "You guys, go hide in a bush and try to keep quiet. I don't think they will bother to kill neither of you but if you see them they will!"

"You don't have to tell us twice," the old man replied and dragged his wife into the bushes near by.

"You must leave now also! I will keep them busy for as long as I can," Kaito smiled at the tearing woman and patted his son and rustled the boy's hair. "Live strong…my son…"

Biting her lips, Yoriko ran into the house and grabbed the sword before she disappeared into the woods. 'On the run again…' she thought sniffling slightly, 'I thought I finally got to a place to settle down and I'm running again.' She gave a long pensive look down to the small child in her arms and gave a difficult sigh. 'I can not keep you. It is too dangerous. If I am caught then you will fall into their hands. As long as I have the sword in my hands, they will come after me as their priority. You must live child, for your father…for me…and for the goodness of man kind…' Tears glided through the air, escaping from the hold of her eyes, as a scream was heard from behind. She pitnched her eyes closed and clutched her teeth, trying not to lose control of herself as she made her way from branch to branch, looking for a way out of this darkened abyss.

(Flash Back Ends)

Naruto looked down sadly upon his knees. His hands griped his pant, putting a few wrinkles upon the smooth orange linen. "My dad…was an Akatsuki…" he whispered.

"Yes…" Yoriko said, shifting her glance.

"He was a run-away nin…" Naruto said, continuing his whispering tone.

Yoriko nodded quietly.

"And he killed Rai-kage and all those people…"

Yoriko bit her lips but said nothing.

"But, he chose to leave the clan!" his head suddenly shooting up with a smile, "He chose to leave, he protected me and you! He died for me and you. With that, I can say that I am proud to be the son of Uzumaki Kaito!"

Yoriko looked up with a smile and nodded. "That is your past Naruto. Remember, the 3rd only wished to protect you. I allowed the Kyuubi to be sealed in you and I know how much hardship that must have brought you, and for that…I am sorry."

"I'm fine," Naruto replied putting his hands behind his hands. 'I was saved…from the hellish torture called loneliness.'

"Now you know, the truth behind you. I hope I could see you in real life Naruto, to see how much you've grown, to see how strong you've gotten, I really do…if I am still alive." Yoriko finished then waved good bye.

"Wait! Don't got! M…MOM!" Naruto was about to run after her when his eyes suddenly opened to notice that he was still lying on the floor. Looking around, nothing had changed. The cut on his finger he had not felt before was stinging his nerves now. The fallen journal was still upon the floor. He looked out the window, the sun was still not yet set. A small object caught the corner of his eyes. 'What's this…'

His finger ran down the metallic outline of the object. It was in the shape of a circle with a spiral drawn upon the cover. 'A pendant?" he looked intensely at the object. He found a small switch to the side and when he pressed upon it, the top flipped open. A small paper was rolled inside. He opened it.

Naruto, this was the pendant I had throughout the years I was alone. I decided to give this to you along with my message. I hope you will treasure it as much as I have.

Inside, was a small frame and a picture of a blond haired man, a young beautiful woman, and a small baby which they held together in the center. All smiling, all joyful, all so care free.

He tied the pendant to his neck strongly and placed it under his jacket. Picking up the journal off the ground and taking one last look upon the words inside, he set it down upon the desk with a nod.

"I'm going to go find…the Wave Striker!" he shouted to himself confidently.

End…

The pendant was summoned from when his blood spilled upon the circle upon the journal and that is what activated the genjutsu as well for all who was wondering. I'm bad with titles, so sue me lol.

The long flash back has finally ended and Naruto begins on his quest. Writing this story to this point, it feels like I'm writing season 3 of Naruto and it feels so fun, lol. Yay, so much more reviews for the last chapter. Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you.

Shina Lim: Yes, the past two chapters was about Naruto's parents and their past. It was necessary as a background for this AU of mine so that I can refer back to it in later chapters. I also tried my best to match as much facts with the current Naruto series so that it might be as realistic as possible. Sorry about confusion, my first Naruto fic. Don't forget to ask me any places you did not get.

Shurah: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it.

Melanie Star: Wow a 10/10, yay (piece). I hope this chapter and all my rest will be just as good

Wilson/Jimmy: I'll talk to you in school.

Moonlight girl 11: Your welcome, and thank YOU.

GRS (Mind if I just write that from now on? Your name is so long lol:

Thank you, and I never took it offensive, I was just joking around when I said compared to "THE worst". I'm really glad that you like my story and I hope to continue to receive your support. Thank's again.

To all the readers who are enjoying this story, I'm happy you are. Drop me a review sometime if you haven't so yet, so that I know you're there . All reviews are well appreciated, hope you all enjoyed this chapter.


	6. Start of the Mission

Ch6

"speech"

'Thought'

"_The Kyubi you say?" a man confirmed in the darkness._

"_Yes, rumors has it that the Kyubi has been sealed into the son of Uzumaki Kaito, Uzumaki Naruto." Replied a second man._

"_Haha, this is excellent. If we get him, we get a package deal of two for one," The first man laughed._

"_I hear that he resides in the hidden village of Konoha, shall I go retrieve him right now?"_

"_The Konoha village, of all the places,"_

"_Something the matter?"_

"_The Konoha village consists of some of the most skilled ninjas there is. Have you heard of the white fang?"_

"_I have, the ninja with an unusual genius claimed to be nearly invincible was he not?"_

"_He was of Konoha."_

"…"

"_You see, with only this much in our clan, we cannot attack Konoha. The Hokage is the most strongest of all Kages and will not go down easily. It may take all three of us just to go against him. We'll wait until we get some more recruits, I'm thinking around 7 should be a good number."_

"_How?"_

"_There are supreme ninjas in every village, every country. They all are seeking or will seek one thing and that is more power. We can use this "weakness" as a tool."_

"_I suppose you have your eyes on someone already?"_

"_Yes, I hear there is an ingenious shinobi in Konoha, his name is Orochimaru. I have kept my eyes on him for quite some time now and I've noticed a different side to him. A more…darker side." _

Naruto walked down the road with the orange sun behind him as it's rays diffused through the open sky. The chilly wind from the front contrasted the blazing heat that burnt the swirl of his jacket from the back. The day was coming to an end. Sounds of mother's calling their children home from another day of their great adventure of life. The young lad gave out a sigh as he watched the little ones extend their arms high into the air, grasping their mother's hand with a bright smile across their face. There was a certain envy and jealousy that he could not help but feel. Overtime, he has managed to learn to get use to this feeling but the pain was still there…now more than ever.

He found his way to 3 wooden poles. He stopped before the middle pole and shot a smile. 'It was here…it was here that my "Family" started.' A smile returned to his face, 'and now, that family has grown. Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, Sasuke, Iruka-sensei, Ero-senin and…' His eyes suddenly cleared up, 'Wow, have I really been acknowledged by so many people?'

"Naruto," the voice of a young man came from behind.

Naruto didn't move. He gave a reply without turning, "What are you doing here Sasuke."

"I'm always here for training, the question IS what are you doing here," Sasuke asked narrowing his eyes.

"Just taking a walk," he whispered and turned around.

Sasuke's eyes twitched, 'are those…tear tracks?'

"I had some things on my mind and I thought a walk might help you know," he laughed trying to sound like his old carefree self. The attempt failed miserably as his voice began to break before he shut his mouth as a moment of silence followed.

Sasuke closed his eyes, understanding what was going on. Then opening them with a firm sight he chuckled, "You're strong Naruto."

Naruto looked up with some surprise before he pointed a thumb to himself, "I'm going to be the next Hokage, of course I am!" he laughed.

"Although you're still nothing compared to me," Sasuke gave a mocking smile.

"Oh really, care to test that out?" he dared.

"Bring it on," Sasuke accepted.

For the next few hours, the clashing of fists rang through the training ground as the sun lowered its figure behind the hills. The moon has glided it's way high into the sky before the melee finally seized. The two stood sideways upon the side of two tree trunks with a smile on their face as they breathed heavily to force as much air into their lungs as possible.

"It's getting late, I'll settle things with you another time," Sasuke said, brushing the sweat from his forehead.

"You're just running away, that's all," Naruto replied mockingly, "But I guess I'll let you off the hook for today."

The two jumped to the ground lightly. Sasuke glanced over at his tired rival, then with a twist of his head and his original cool hmf, he began his walk. 'The bastard gets stronger every time I fight him. Maybe I'm getting soft, but it looked like he needed some sort of stress relief.' He gave a few blinks before he realized the full content of what he had just thought and shot another few chuckles. 'Getting soft? Damn it, Heh, the bastard's got a knack for changing people.'

Naruto gazed into the night sky with a sigh of relief. There was something about his last fight that was all so satisfying, a bit painful but satisfying. 'Wonder what tomorrow will bring,' he smiled and started his walk.

The sun's rays shot it's way through the blinds once more upon the blond haired boy's face. 'I don't wanna wake…damn it, I gotta get me some better blinds.' He sat up with a yawn and looked about. 'So this is tomorrow huh,' he thought extending his arm to feel the air around him and glided it with few grasps into the empty space, 'it feels just like yesterday.' He gave a shrug and moved o his stack of noodles.

He looked down into his steaming cup as he waited for the 3minutes to pass.

_The wave striker sword is said to hold great power._

He ate quietly, still thinking about the words of his mother.

'My bloodline…so they didn't just want me for the Kyubi inside me." He looked down to his hand, 'Do I really hold such power?'

Team Kakashi have gathered upon the bridge where they usually meet. All but one had arrived. Sakura folded her arms worriedly and everything was at a silence.

'Naruto still isn't here. It's not like him to be late let alone be more late than Kakashi-sensei.' She thought looking to the side where the boy usually runs from.

"We can't wait any longer," Kakashi said, "We need to go get our mission for today. If Naruto decides to show up then he can catch up. If he doesn't, well, I'll deal with him later."

"Kakashi-sensei, I think Naruto is…" Sakura said.

"I know Sakura, I heard," Kakashi replied cutting in before she could finish.

(In the Ninja Academy)

Three figures walked down the hall in silence. This was one day where there wasn't any chattering or flirting as they took their steps. Sakura gave occasional glances behind, hoping to see the bright face of the blond shooting some idiot excuse for being late but her hopes were replaced by disappointment each time.

"No absolutely NOT!" Tsunade's words came ringing through the school.

"It looks like she's in a bad mood today…again," Sasuke gave a sigh.

"Wonder what got to her today," Sakura added.

"Please, I have to! If I don't they could…"

"Naruto?" Kakashi looked up through his mask.

The three dashed to the room and opened the door just in time to see Naruto's fist coming down hard on the table as Tsunade glared back.

"Naruto, what's going on?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto flipped his head back to see the source of the question. "Kakashi-sensei!"

"He wants to leave the Konoha village," Tsunade answered.

"What do you mean leave?" Sakura demanded.

Naruto shifted his glance to the side, "I won't be gone forever. I just have some things that I want to clear up," he replied.

"Naruto," Tsunade said calming her voice, "I know you're going through some tough times right now and I know about your past as well. I saw the message your mom left you by reading the genjutsu without activating it. But knowing you, you're planning to go charge into the akatsuki's base by yourself once you get the sword…If they don't find you first. You and I both know that you're not strong enough to go against them yet."

"Then what," Naruto's voice grew with anger, "You expect me to just sit here and do nothing? I know that with that sword, I can do it!"

"You don't even know if the myth is real or not!" Tsunade exclaimed.

"Excuse me," Kakashi jumped in timidly, "what is this sword you guys are talking about?"

"Oh, Naruto wants to go find the wave striker. You've heard of it have you not?" Tsunade said.

"Yes, I hear that it is a legendary sword in the country of the mist said to be able to cut through an ocean with one slash. The sword did exist but did it not disappear years ago after it was stolen by someone?" Kakashi answered.

"It wasn't stolen!" Naruto bursted. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the sudden response as did the other two beside him. Naruto looked down to the floor then continued, toning down his volume, "My mom took it to prevent it from falling into the Akatsuki's hands."

The word Akatsuki brought a shudder to the ones in the room, at least to the ones that knew what they were.

Tsunade looked to her schedual book pensively before she finally gave in. "Alright," she said, "I'll let you go get the sword. I will give you 2 weeks time and if you still can not find it, then you are to immediately return here."

A smile came to Naruto's face. "However!" she added, "I don't trust you to go alone. Therefore, Kakashi team7, that shall be your mission for the next two weeks."

'Geeze, but I guess this is better than our usual escort this person to this place where it always ends up with just a stroll in the forest,' Sasuke thought looking up.

(Outside the Academy)

"Naruto, I want some more details about this. What's this message that your…mom left you," Kakashi asked.

"I'll tell you it as we walk," Naruto replied.

(Tells the story)

"I see," Kakashi nodded.

'So that's Naruto's past huh…how sad,' Sakura glanced over at the smiling figure, 'But he don't look sad at all, I wonder what his thinking behind that clown mask of his.' She smiled with admiration.

They stopped their steps at the gate of Konoha.

"So, where are we off to?" Kakashi asked.

"I haven't got a clue," Naruto replied putting his hands behind his head.

The three nearly plopped dead on the floor. 'Obviously nothing much' Sakura thought as her eye twitched rapidly. "I think we should go to that old folks home," she answered, shaking her head to get the stupidity out of her thoughts, "The sword did belong to them right, then logically they should know something about it. Maybe your mother left something with them."

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Naruto exclaimed, "Let's go!"

'Once an idiot, always an idiot,' Sasuke shook his head and followed.

End…

And so the journey begins, what awaits them in the roads ahead? I hope you liked this chapter, the opening of "My version of Season Three" haha, I like that. Although I think the Akatsuki would die out in season two but hey, this is my story. I hope you guys liked this chapter

MelanieStar: Haha, thanks a lot for all your support and constant review. You're the only one that gives me a constant review too lol. I can't get on Fanfic all that often so I can't review all your chapters before your next one comes out but I'm reading them every chance I get, thanks again!

Anonymous: I shall continue.


	7. Gazing upon the Stars

Ch7

"Speech"

'Thought'

Gaze upon the Stars

Naruto lowered his head as he put his back against a large tree trunk. It was night, a peaceful night, but nothing but anger filled the tiny boy's mind. 'Why…why only me…' he pondered in his mind. Tears filled his eyes, 'What more do I have to do to be accepted?' he stared down to the floor, watching the droplets of tears falling to the floor.

"_Don't look down, look up," A voice sounded before him._

_Naruto looked up, "Hokage no Jiichan!" he gasped._

"_Hello Naruto," the old man smiled, "You know Naruto, the stars are a remarkable thing," he said._

_  
"The stars?"_

"_Indeed, just gaze upon them and you will find out,"_

_Naruto looked up curiously. "I don't get it…"_

"_Hoho, you are still young Naruto. One day, you will realize how remarkable those tiny sparkling dots up in the night sky is."_

_Naruto raised an eyebrow like the old man had three eyes skeptically._

"_Just gaze upon them Naruto…Just watch," Sarutobi laughed then disappeared into the woods. Naruto leaned back further against the trunk and looked up. His muscles relaxed, his tears stopped, time began to pass unnoticed until finally, his eyelids collapsed from its weight._

Team 7 was making their way speedily through the quiet woods. They had been running for the whole morning and boredom began to sweep their minds. Kakashi was reading his favorite book, still stepping on each branch with supreme accuracy. Naruto yawned tiredly and Sakura shot occasional glance at the cool black haired boy beside her, blushing slightly each time with a giggle.

(Flash Back)

One figure rained maniac smirks upon the three that lay on the ground. His eyes glaring hungrily as of a snake as he licked the blood that collected on the sides of his lips. Naruto looked up through his hair as the man's laughter of triumph echoed through his ears. Slowly, he got to his feet while holding his stomach where a heavy blow had just struck. Sasuke and Sakura managed to set up, breathing heavily with their eyes hanging slightly downward as though they were on the verge of passing out. Glancing behind, the blond boy gave a small grin, "Sasuke, take Sakura-chan and get out of here," he whispered. 

"What!" Sasuke's eyes widened.

"I'll take care of Orochimaru, you take Sakura-chan and get as far away from here as possible," he turned and shot a quick smile, "I don't want to see my fellow teammates die before my eyes."

Those were the very words of Kakashi and of his own. 'Naruto…' Sasuke returned the offer with a chuckle, "Why…you help Sakura but why help me! Why are you to this day, still willing to die for me?" he demanded.

"Because…you were the first person that knew of my pains, to be unaccepted, to be feared by society, and to understand the true meaning of loneliness."

Sakura glanced up at the young boy who had a sorrowful smile across his face. 'Naruto…'

"Hey Sakura..." Sasuke glanced over nervously.

"_Hm?"_

"_How do you feel toward Naruto?"_

"_He always gets in the way of my love life, has no idea to how I feel. His just annoying."_

"_Lonelyness…its pains are nothing like that of what you get when your parents yells at you…You're just annoying…"_

She shifted her eyes to the ground feeling a sense of shame. "Naruto…" she started softly, "I…"

"And besides," Naruto cut in, "We once said, we are only whole together."

"Ha," Sasuke laughed. Naruto looked behind with a slightly shocked and disappointed look. "I won't let you take the sweet part of the cake all the time," he laughed.

Sakura looked up at the two standing side by side. She noticed something that she hadn't seen for a long time, something she thought she may never see again, a smile upon Sasuke's face, a true smile.

(End Flashback)

"Sasuke…Sasuke? SASUKE!" Naruto called.

"Huh, oh what do you want?" the young teen snapped to attention.

"What's with you, not like you to be day dreaming," Naruto asked.

"Just running through a few thoughts, we're almost at the border of our fire country, let's take a break at that that restaurant over there," he pointed to a small hut in the distance.

"Sounds good to me, I'm getting hungry," Naruto agreed.

"Then it's decided? Kakashi sensei?" Sakura glanced to the side with a pleading look.

"Fine by me," Kakashi replied plainly.

"Hellooo," Naruto called, stretching his neck as far as it goes to peep in the inside. It wasn't much for looks, a few rugged tables and benches, a small front desk but all had seemed to be thoroughly cleaned. It was one of those places where one just happen to stumble upon by accident that's run by the owner's family type of place.

"Welcome, welcome!" A young man called from behind some curtains which appeared to lead to a kitchen, "Sorry, I was in the back so I didn't even notice you coming in. Hey you guys, we have customers!"

"Coming!" three kids ran happily out and greeted them.

"Please, go take a seat and I'll be right with you," the man insisted as he extended his hand to a table.

Team 7 did as told. 'This is a good place, nice and quiet. Good place for a vacation or next time I want to skip a meeting,' Kakashi thought.

"WHAT! What did you just say!" Naruto exclaimed.

'Well…at least maybe if Naruto wasn't here.'

"You heard me Dobe, got a problem?" Sasuke said coolly, shooting a mocking glare at his angry rival.

Naruto stomped his feet and raised his sleeve, "Why you…"

"Naruto, calm down before you scare the children," Sakura gave a 'Light' tap on his stomach.

A sudden shock flew over the loud mouthed boy as he clutched his stomach and groaned. 'Wow, that hurt…'

"That's more like it," Sakura smiled and gave a nod.

"Heh…heh…" Naruto laughed weakly.

"Here you go!" A tiny figure called as the 4 looked down from their seats, "You're menu."

"Oh, thank you," Sakura took the menu with a soft smile.

"and your waters," two other halflings walked over and stopped beside the table. As one held the tray, the other took the glasses and placed them neatly on the table. "You guys are ninjas right?" the tiny boy asked.

"Huh, yea," Sakura replied.

"Wow! Cool! Does that mean that you got Shurikens and everything too?" the three bundled together with glimmering eyes.

"Y..yea…"

"You three, stop bothering the customers," the man called.

"Haiii…" The three kids went back in through the curtain with a few giggles and ran away.

"Sorry, those kids are crazy about ninjas. It's sort of like their dreams but with our house so far from the city and out low financial state, I just can't send them to the academy…." He looked down sadly, "Oh, I'm sorry, I guess that's non of your businesses. My name is Touji, how can I help you today," said he, returning the smile on his face.

"Not at all," Kakashi replied, "I'll take some tea and dango."

"Same for me please," Sakura added.

"Yea, I guess I will too," Sasuke sighed.

"What, you're all getting that? How can you call that lunch? Let's see…I'll take…WHOA there's Ramen here! I'll take a Soy Ramen please!" Naruto ordered excitedly.

"Geeze Naruto, you know you can't live on that stuff right?" Sakura glanced across.

"Yea yea…mom…" Naruto pouted. It was a few seconds later that he realized exactly what he had said as the emergency light in his head turned on. Before him was an angry face of a girl, raising her fists and gripping the air tightly. 'I should not have said that…'

(POW!)

Naruto flew from his seat out the store, spinning to the ground with a heavy thud. Returning her glance to Touji, who blinked a few times out of astonishment, he smiled and said "That will be all, thank you," with the most innocent girlish tone of voice.

"A…alright, I..I'll be right back with your orders," Touji sweat dropped and went to the back.

Naruto walked in, adjusting his jaws back in to position. "Geeze, did you have to hit so hard?" he puffed out his cheeks.

"Heh heh, sorry, I didn't mean to hit you that hard actually," Sakura apologized.

'Well, like master like apprentice I suppose,' Kakashi shook his head in his mind.

"Here you are," Touji called, pushing the curtains out with his back, "Three dangos and a ramen, enjoy."

"Whoohoo! LUNCH TIME!" Naruto swallowed his saliva with a loud gulp as he looked at the noodles in his bowls.

"We still have some ways ahead, lets hurry up and get on our way," Kakashi said.

(Few moments later)

"Man, that was good," Naruto said patting his full stomach feeling more than satisfied.

"Let's get out of here," Sasuke said and began to walk.

"Thanks for the lunch," Sakura waved as she walked off.

"You're welcome," Touji waved back and pushed the three kids back in. Seeing the four disappear into the distance, he pressed two fingers to his ear and shrunk his head to his neck collar. "Yo, it's me…yea, they're gone…I'm sure they are…what! Why not?…alright…later…"

(Later that night)

"Hey, it's getting late, we're going to camp around here," Kakashi signaled.

"K," the three answered and followed their teacher down from the branches. After a short while, they set up a small camp fire and found 4 moderate sized logs as pillows for the night. The light of the fire seemed to blind away the stars of the night sky. To the four that sat in a circle around this blaze that lit in the middle of the vast mountain forest of the night gave them a sense of timid ness.

"The sky is pretty clear tonight," Sakura said looking up.

"Yea…" Naruto agreed.

"Whatever," Sasuke said laid down, putting one arm under his head as a secondary, softer, pillow for his head and shut his eyes, "Get some sleep, there's probably another full day of running tomorrow."

(Time passes)

Sakura's eyes flickered open upon feeling a chilly wind rub against her skin. 'The fire's out…' she stirred slightly and looked around. The sun was still yet to rise. Stretching slightly, she laid back down. Then something came to her attention. "Naruto?" she looked up and rubbed her eyes for better focus and looked over at where he was before, he wasn't there. Getting to her feet, she looked around, "Naruto?" she whispered a call. She began to look around the vicinity. Through a wall of trees, she noticed a shadow, sitting upon a cliff. She made her way closer, "Naru..to…" she caught her call, noticing the pensive look in the boy's eyes. 'Kakashi-sensei isn't her either?'

Naruto sat with his feet swinging from the rocky ledge. His head tilted slightly upward to the skies. A glimmer of sorrow swam in his eyes, lit by the silver light of the moon.

'Naruto…' Sakura was about to walk up to him when she felt a hand to her shoulder. Sasuke pointed to another figure that was walking up. 'Kakashi sensei?'

"Naruto, what are you doing up so late?" Kakashi asked.

"Just thinking," Naruto said peacefully.

"About her?"

"…"

"I see, it's hard to hide your tears through laughter, isn't it,"

Naruto shifted his eyes to the side.

"I..I'm not…" Naruto bit his lips.

Kakashi breathed out with a smile, "Remember Naruto, remember what you said on the first day you became part of team 7. There, infront of those wooden polls, you said 'we three together first make a whole.' If you need to talk…"

"Yea…I know…thanks." A smile returned to his lips, "Kakashi Sensei."

"Hmm?"

"Do you ever watch the stars?"

"Sometimes,"

"They're amazing things. A long time ago, I remember the 3rd telling me something about it but I didn't understand it back then. Now, I think I know what he meant."

"and what will that be?"

"Liberty," was the one word that he could best summarize the answer.

Kakashi smiled and turned back toward their camp, "Try to get some sleep alright?" he said, waving with the back of his hand. 'These kids are growing in more than one way' he thought with a satisfied smirk under his mask.

"Come on, let's go back," Sasuke whispered.

"I guess you're right," Sakura agreed. With one last look at the young blond boy, she made her way back to the camp.

What kind of thoughts was running through Naruto's mind then? What kind of pain could be flowing through those eyes? What kind of sorrow confined that star-crossed soul? No one knew the answer to those questions, perhaps, not even the boy himself.

End…

Sorry about this late update. I was finishing the last chapter to another one of my story. Anywho, here ya go, hope you liked it

Melanie Star: Sweet, an 100/10. (High fives) Was ch26 the final chapter to your story? What happened to Sasuke? Or have you just been busy lately and haven't updated it yet? Either way, love your story tons

Jasmine Starlight: This is het, I don't have a problem with Yaoi lovers, but all my fics are het. I hope you liked this chapter too and THANKS TONS for all your reviews

AznNarutoGrl-91: Thank you, and I hope you will continue to enjoy this as I continue to update o

AsburyCirce: There's going to be a lot more about Naruto's past as he continues his quest for the wave breaker sword. (Aside from the flash back at the start of every chapter) Hope to continue to get your support


	8. The Story Part1

Ch8

"Speech"

'Thought'

_speech within a story_

The Story (Part1)

"Kaito! Oh please don't die on me Kaito!" a teenage girl wept against the setting sun. A war had just ended between the country of lightning and fire, lightning had lost and through the few who had survived, the girl held her future husband in her arms. The others had left, partly because they saw no hope in saving the man and the partly perhaps, because they did not wish to.

"_Yori…ko…I don't know how much longer I will last," the man whispered as blood dripped from his forehead._

"_No, you're going to be fine! You must live, at least until our child is born!" tears poured as she desperately gripped his clothe._

_Kaito gave a quick chuckle and placed his hand upon her head without a word._

_A few shadows appeared in the distance. "Split into groups of twos and start looking!" an order was heard._

"_Damn, I think they're Konoha ninjas," Kaito lowered his brows angrily and looked up at the direction. He could see two figures moving swiftly to them. "Yoriko," he whispered, "Get out of here before they catch you."_

"_But…"_

"_Listen, I don't know what they're doing back here but if they find you and decide to capture you then I can't help you," he said , keeping a glare at the approaching figures._

"_No, I won't leave you!" she said with a determined voice._

"_Stop acting valiant at a time like this. You must go, remember that you now hold the two lives that are dearest to me," he smiled._

"_No, I won't!" her clutch came tighter upon his chest._

"_Damn it, you hav…too late," Kaito breezed out._

"_There's someone there," a voice of a woman notified, "Let's go an take a look."_

_Yoriko looked up with uncertainty as the two figures approached them._

"_Those are," the second ninja narrowed his eyes, "Lightning Shinobis."_

"_I believe you're right," the woman replied._

_The two stopped before the Yoriko and Kaito. Yoriko placed herself between Kaito and the two foes, panting heavily, still not yet fully recovered from the battle earlier._

"_Shall we finish them off?" the man asked._

_The woman looked down at the teenage girl, glaring furiously with eyes of determination. "Does he need help?" she asked pointing to Kaito._

"_Eh?" Yoriko blinked slightly dumbfounded._

"_Tsu..Tsunade-sama!" the man gasped, "They're lightning Shinobis!"_

"_What about it?" Tsunade shot a disgusted glare across at the shinobi, "the war is over, these individuals are now no different from you or I. We were fighting the lightning country, not its ninjas. When someone is in need, whether one of us or not, we must do all that we can to help that individual, that, is the Konoha way. ---tightens her glare---and if you can not see that, quit being a ninja."_

_The man looked down shamefully and whispered, "I understand."_

_Tsunade lowered her height to match the sitting girl and gave a gentle smile, "If it's alright with you, I would like to take a look at your friend there."_

_There was something about the woman's smile gave Yoriko the feeling of trustworthiness. With a small nod, she lowered her dagger and shifted aside. Tsunade examined the man, who also looked back at her with a sense of admiration and gratefulness. She collected her chakura to her palms until a faint glow was seen and placed it upon the man, one hand on his chest, and the other upon the wound on his head._

"_Thank you," Yoriko whispered._

_Tsunade turned her head with another soft smile, "you're welcome."_

_The young teen looked with amazement as color returned to her boyfriend's face. "If you wouldn't mind me asking," Yoriko said shyly, "Could you tell me how your healing works?_

"_Well, I can't share with you much at all because that would be revealing the techniques of our country," Tsunade replied and looked at the girl's face fall into disappointment, "But I guess I can tell you a really basic one." She finished off. The girl's face immediately brightened._

"_You see," Tsunade began, still keeping her hands where they are to continue with the healing, "The way healing works is that you sacrifice a small bit of your chakura to your patient. By forcing in access chakura to your patient's, you increase its flow to the mitochondria of his or her cell, thus increasing the cellular division frequency. If your patient is lacking in chakura, which most of the time will be, then form a layer of chakura with yours to prevent it from scattering from the wound. Once the wound is healed then the patient will regain his own chakura by himself."_

"I see," Yoriko listened intriguingly.

"_Well," Tsunade sighed getting up, "He should be fine enough to keep his life. You can take him back to a hospital now. I still need to go look for some of our survivors if there are any," she smiled and hand signaled her companion to get going_

Light furnished its way gently upon the leaves, bringing a soft sparkle of emerald glow that traveled to the soggy ground from the morning dew. A thin layer of mist formed as vapors condensed before they can make their hasty retreat to the heavens that awaited them. Naruto gave a long stretch of his back and a few cricks upon his joints and looked about the scene. He was still at the hills where he had sat last night. With a tiring yawn, he turned his vision to the general directions where the others were.

"Naruto, you're awake," Sakura called pushing aside a few branches through the bushes, "I just came by to wake you but it looks like you saved me the trouble."

"Morning Sakura-chan," Naruto gave a smile and got to his feet.

His steps were brisk and full of energy. The large curve formed by his lips was so full of joys and welcome of the new sunrise that Sakura could not help but admire knowing what the young man was going through. For some time now that she had noticed a second characteristic to the boy, which she could not see at first. Behind his idiotic actions and carefree laughter, there was a more intimate side to the boy which she would think she had understood all, only to find another layer underneath sometime later.

Breakfast was quiet that morning. It was one of those rare moments when even Naruto fell silent as he chewed away at his rice ball. Sakura took nervous glimpse of worries at the quiet blond boy which he himself did not even notice. A few moments later, they had finished and packed away the remaining supplies.

"Alright, let's try to reach the boarder by sunset today, let's move!" Kakashi ordered and jumped to the branches and looked back to make sure his team was following.

Kakashi and Sakura lagged slightly behind as Naruto and Sasuke jumped swiftly at the front. "Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura whispered.

"What is it?" Kakashi replied monotone, keeping his sight fixed forward.

"Who is…" she stuttered.

"Who IS…."

"Who is Naruto?" she finished off.

Kakashi turned his head and raised an eyebrow in question.

"He acts like a fool, always clumsy, arrogant, and hotheaded, and so full of himself. His loud, don't know when to quit, and never seems to be down or depressed. But then…sometimes I see him alone and he seems more sad then anyone I had ever seen."

"Naruto isn't as simple as you think," Kakashi replied calmly, "There are things that he knows that some may never be able to comprehend. If you must know a definite description of him then I suppose the only way for me to tell you is that his stupidly wise," he gave a short chuckle.

Sakura looked up at the lad in front of her, exchanging arguments with Sasuke pouting his lips. "Stupidly…wise…" she thought for a while before letting a small grin come to her face.

(Sun glides its way across the sky)

"Hey Kakashi-sensei," the loudmouthed blond shouted back excitedly, "I think that's the border to the country of mist!"

"Well I suppose that's a good thing," replied the masked ninja, "stop at that sign right there."

The group jumped off to the sign which read "Now Entering Country of Mist".

"So, where do we go from here?" Sasuke questioned, brushing the hair from his forehead where a small amount of precipitate had formed from the long day's run.

"Naruto, did your mom leave you where those two old folks' house was," Sakura asked breathing deeply to catch her breath.

"No, all she told me was that she ran through the woods from a sign and saw the light from the house," Naruto explained, "so maybe if we just searched around here then…"

"Sigh," Kakashi shook his head, "Naruto, how do you even know that it was this sign she ran from."

"Oh…right…" said the boy crossing his arms in deep thought.

"Hey wait a sec, you told us that those elderly couple was the parents of a Kunoichi named Yuriko right?" Sakura gasped enthusiastically.

"I see where you're going with this," Sasuke cut in, "it sure will give us a place to start."

"Alright, we'll start with that then," Kakashi gave a nod.

"I don't get it…" Naruto asked scratching his head.

"You told us that there was a Kunoichi named Yuriko whom the sword was trusted to right? If such an honor was to be given to a lady so young then she must have some sort of fame in the country. If we go to town and as where she or her parents may be residing then…" Sakura explained.

"Then we might be able to find them!" Naruto shouted with excitement, "Alright Sakura-chan, that's smart thinking right there!"

"Eh hen!" Sakura gave a short wink.

(At the Mist Village)

"Wow, it sure does live up to its name doesn't it," Sakura glanced from one side to the other at the dense fog that hovered low to the ground.

"I can barely see a city block," Naruto groaned.

"Alright, let's split up and start our search, call if you find something through the headsets," Kakashi raised his hand and with a twirl of his wrist, signaled "Begin"

(Time Passes)

"Did you guys find anything?" Naruto called as his group reunited at a cross section.

"No, nothing. Geeze, you'd think that someone would know something about the wave striker if not Yuriko-san," Sakura gave a disappointing sigh.

"I'm guessing that ever since the sword went missing, they banned any talk about it to not make their village seem weak. You don't want your foes to know that your country couldn't protect its most valued item do you?" Kakashi said in a peaceful manner.

"Hmm, but that means we have no leads, where are we going to search at now?" the blond boy sat down and rested his head upon one hand.

"WAIT, YOU CAN'T!" a cry sounded from the left as the four's heads turned swiftly.

"What do you mean we can't, your cheap store's been owning money to our boss with over 6month late. We've got tired of waiting so we're just going to take what's rightfully our!" a group of men glared disgustingly behind as they exited the store.

"Please, I will get the money somehow but do not take that! That is not even mine to begin with. Take all that you wish but not that!" an old man pleaded as he chased the leaving gang.

"You don't have anything else that of any value," mocked one of the men.

"You should have thought of that before you decided to borrow money from our boss," laughed another.

"Please, take all that you wish, anything else you would like but leave that cross with me," pleaded the old man again as he grasped the man with his treasure by his pant.

"Stubborn geezer, get YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF," the man raised his hand in a fist and just as his arm came down to deliver his heavy blow, another came swiftly up, forcing it to stop in its tracks.

"If the man wants it that bad, then give it to him!" a pair of angry eyes flared with anger.

The man took a few steps back in surprise, "Who the hell are you!" he demanded.

"His on his knees, begging you for something so small as to that so just give it to him!" ordered the teenage blond.

"Who do you think you are to order us around!" the man said angrily, "I'll teach you, you little brat!" with that, the man made a mad dash toward the young lad.

Calmly, Naruto opened his palm and ducked and readied his favorite move. The orb formed rather smoothly, hovering a few inches from his palm. With one smooth motion, he extended his arm to the approaching man's stomach. Just before the orb made contact, he tensed his muscles, forcing the swirling ball of chakura to explode in a sudden outburst. The shock only sounded no more than a strong gust of wind to the near by crowed that had gathered to watch the commotion but it was good enough to send the man flying back a few meters, winding him in the process.

"You're…a ninja," the man groaned as his comrades dashed in to his aid. "Fine, what ever, take it!" he spat as he chucked the cross behind. "Listen up old man, the next time we come and you still don't have the money, we're going to take the entire house!" he shouted as his fellow gang members helped him up.

The crowed that gathered had dispersed and Sakura made her way to the fallen man. "Are you alright sir?" she asked.

"I'm fine thanks to this young man," he thanked. His facial features was of an elderly man though bits of black hair still shown through his white. He seemed rather thin, even for the amount of seasons he had seen, but his stature as he stood back up seemed strong and valiant. As he picked the small cross from the ground, he breathed out heavily in relief and gave it a tight grasp.

"It was nothing, but what was it that you wanted so bad of?" Naruto turned with a questioning glance.

"Oh this?" he remarked reopening his palm, "It is something I swore to protect. A silly little thing really," he chuckled.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "Who gave it to you?" he asked.

"A woman by the name of Yoriko I believe," he replied.

Naruto spun around with a sudden twist as his eyes widened of shock, "Yo..Yoriko?"

"Yes, you know her as well?" the man remarked raising an eyebrow.

"I wish to at least," the boy whispered, looking down to the floor.

"Come on Naruto," Sakura called, "we still have to find a place to stay for the night."

The old man looked up pensively at the boy, then jerked his thumb toward his inn. "Why don't you guys stay in my inn for tonight. It's not much but you fellows are travelers right? I won't charge you, think of it as a thank you for your kindness," said he.

"Really?" Sakura gasped, "Oh thank you very much." Sakura smiled with a bow.

"Sure no problem," he grinned.

They walked into the tumbled building. Papers scattered fresh on the floor, some with distinct foot prints left by the men's heavy steps. Tables were flipped to the ground ad drawers had been thrust out and all of its content amongst the dusty of the cold wooden floor. The only thing left untouched was a small shrine behind the front desk of a statue of a bronze Buda, sitting ever so calmly upon its cushion with its eyes peacefully closed and palms open upon it's cross legged knees.

(During Supper)

"My name is Kameao Kenji, and that one serving up your supper would be my wife Rei," introduced the old man.

"Nice to meet you," Sakura tilted her head with a small nod, "I'm Haruno Sakura, the one next to me is Uchia Sasuke-kun, and the id…" she stopped her tongue when she noticed the unusually settled behavior of the blond boy, fighting with his chopsticks. "(Cough) I mean, the blond boy there is Uzumaki Naruto, and this is our teacher, Kakashi-sensei."

"Kenji-san was it?" Naruto interrupted, "Tell me about this Yoriko-san who gave you that cross," he said firmly.

The rest of the team shifted their glance to Kenji who looked about in a confused look from the sudden question. With a small understanding grin, he began.

"It was some 15 or so years ago that incident occurred. I had been returning from a rather…nostalgic trip to the cemetery. It was the anniversary of my dear father and mother's death. They weren't of very fortunate a couple you see. They're house where they had lived all their life caught on a fire, which they had never told me of what cause, and so, came to live with me. The only thing I recall them saying was something about Yuriko, my sister and a very fine Kunoichi, had come back to them and saved them from their certain demise. I nodded to their comments thought I never took it seriously for I knew that my sister, though as good of a Shinobi she was, had died in the war years before. I merely told them that she was missing in fear of breaking their old hearts. They were very fond of her you see.

"Anyways, I was still quite well off back then and I've decided to find a few men to rebuild their house, just as it was before. But unfortunately, mother passed away before the house could finish and father exactly one year later. Doctors say that it was old age but I knew it was from my mother's death.

"As I made my way back, it began to rain. At first it was no more than a few sprinkles, no more than a needle's width, but within only a few minutes it became a horrid storm. In this country, whenever it rains, the mist only thickens and more dense from the added water content. As you can see, you can already see no more than a block and this is one of the better days. The cemetery is a few way outside this town so I had to walk through the mountain trail you see. Normally, because there is only one trail, that was the road which I followed. But with the fog so thick, I could see no further than the length of my arm. I pondered slightly and finally decided, after seeing that there was no way to get back in such conditions, to find some form of shelter and wait it out. The rain here don't last long and once the rain is gone, the mist clears not long after you see. As I waundered through the mist, I hooked my right arm upon a branch and it tore quite a chunk of skin out of me.

"I stumbled myself upon a small cave and there I waited. Just as I thought, the rain dispersed. It was about 30minutes after that, that the fog had cleared enough for me to see a decent distance and so I decided to make my way out. It was then that 7 figures shadowed behind the wall of vapors. My eyes widened with terror as I realized immediately of what they were, Wolves! They had been attracted by the smell of my blood after the fresh rain eliminated all other.

"My instincts told me to run but my eyes failed to locate a place to run. The only direction that was left for me was back in the small cave where I had sheltered through the down pour. With each back step I took, they crawled up two until finally I had run out of steps to take as my back hit the rocky wall of the cave. The wolves came closer, their eyes focused upon me. I glued my back against the wall, turned my head to the side, and shut my eyes in preparation of my death.

"I heard a growl and my muscles tensed. A 'yelp' I heard, and realizing that I was still unharmed, I opened my eyes. A woman stood before me, holding a kunai in a defensive position.

" Are you alright she asked as she took a quick flip back.

"A gasp escaped my lips as I took her face to my eyes before I replied a yes through the downward motion of my neck. 'It couldn't be' I thought, for before me stood my dear sister whom I had seen dead, for I was the one who confirmed her body within the dead.

"She turned back to the wolves as they snarled viciously and with one quick motion of her hands to her chest, whispered some words which I could not pick up. Then, thrusting them forward, she yelled Kanashibari no Jutsu (Paralysis Technique) I watched with astonishment as all 7 wolves froze on the spot. She then turned to me calmly and walked over with a smile.

" Your arm is curt, let me have a look at it she whispered.

" I obeyed and extended my injured limb. She took a short time examining the damage, then with a quick smile, placed her palm upon the wound. I felt a small tinge, followed by a suiting warmth and when she had removed her palm, my cut had been completely healed."

"Yoriko-san was a medical ninja?" Sakura interrupted.

"Somewhat, she told me that a kind friend she knew long ago told her a bit about it and she had practiced on plants and animals. More details…I think she said something about a medical personal from Konoha but I forgot what that person's name was," the man replied.

'A medical personal from Konoha?' Naruto thought, 'could it be…nah…he did say a **Kind friend**'

End…

I will end this chapter here. I wasn't planning to update until June20 but then I noticed that this story, I haven't updated for quite some time. Hope you all enjoyed this one

Iris: Thank you, but you know what, I bet if you start writing you would be just as good as me. It just takes practise

Naru-Hina#1: Thank you

Shina-lim: Surprise! Finished this over long weekend faster than what I thought was possible. As you can see from my profile, exams are almost here haha.

Redex: No, I have no problem with constructive criticisms. To tell the truth, I didn't run a spell check either :-P

MelanieStar: I see you've stopped updating too, got exams coming up just like me? Oo;

Arte73: Thanks, this story actually tops all my other stories quality wise so far. I'm glad you like it, I'm trying to tie this in as much to the actual anime as possible, but I think you've noticed that already heh heh.


	9. The Story Part2

Ch9

"Speech"

'Thought'

The story (Part2)

A small boy pouted angrily at the reflection that stared back at him in the quiet flow of the river near his favorite location in the woods. Ever since school started, things has been even worse for the tiny ninja as the constant teasing and down talking pummeled him daily and he could no longer stay at home to avoid it.

"I hear that guy's mom left him cause he couldn't do anything right?"

"Wow, thrown away by your own parents, how pathetic."

'thrown away by your parents,' those words haunted his head as he gave it a desperate shake though he knew when he stops, the words will still be there. Sticks and stones and break my bone's but words will never hurt me? Obviously, the one who said that has had a very easy life. Anger, sorrow, hatred, fear, all these are carved into a person through words. For if the clouds high above in the open blues could speak, it would be able to tell how many suffer, cry, die, and even kill from what originated from words each day around the world.

The boy knew that lesson well. He knew the pains words can do and that's why he had never started an argument nor put anyone down purposely. He only defended himself when others came to him and may have muttered a few curses afterwards but never took them personally. Hours later, only the words spoken would remain but the faces would disappear from his mind.

Only two people was in his mind that he hated at the time. Only two and no one else, because those two in particular, he thought he could never forgive for what they had done.

"Why you all haven't even touched your food yet, please, eat, eat!" Kenji laughed, "If would be a waste if you let it cool."

"Right, everyone, let's eat. We can listen to the rest of his story after supper," Kakashi ordered and the three obeyed.

The rest of the supper went smoothly. The thought about his mother seemed to disappear from Naruto's mind as he stuffed more than he could chew into his mouth and gulped it down forcefully, half choking. All 4 figures watched with sweat drops on the back of their heads as the two young rivals fought over the last chicken on the table, only to realize afterwards that there was more left in the pot.

Naruto patted himself upon his stomach with a satisfied expression on his face. "Wheeze, that was great!" he relaxed into his chair.

"Now then Kenji-san," Sakura turned politely, "Will you tell us the rest of your story?"

"Ahh yes, where was I," he looked up trying to remember, "Ah yes, I remember now.

"I was indeed amazed by her healing technique but I was more so concentrate upon her face. I had heard that there are at least 2 or 3 people that looks the same in the world but never did I imagine to such an extent.

" 'Yuriko? Is that you?' I asked, even though I knew the answer could not be what I hoped for, the striking resemblance pulled the words right out of my mouth.

"She looked at me questioningly for a few moments and just when I was about to apologize for asking such a dubious question, she asked me, by any chance, that I may be related to the 2 old folks who lived around that region. I asked her to describe them for me and realized that she was indeed talking about my mother and father.

" 'Do you know where I might be able to find them now?' she asked.

" With a sad shake of my head, I brought her to the cemetery where the two now laid. As we walked there, I told her what has happened and how they did mention you but I did not get what they meant until just now. I also explained that they were my parents and Yuriko was my elderly sister whom when she died, her appearance were very much like hers. She gave a knowing and understanding nod to all that I spoke and I decided to ask her to come over to my inn after the revisit to the cemetery.

"She agreed and came over for the night. Tell me, have you heard of a sword called wave striker?" he asked.

"Yes, and that is partially of what we're searching for," Kakashi nodded.

Kenji narrowed his eyes slightly but then, looking at Naruto, he continued.

"The fact that you all know about the wave striker is a good thing. We spent the night talking, her, my wife, and I. She told me of what truly happened the night of the fire. I thanked her for saving the lives of my father and mother but she in turn apologized for she thought it was her fault that it had happened.

"After the short meal, she paused for a moment before reaching for her bag she had kept within an arm's reach. From it, she pulled out IT! The wave striker sword! The sword which I thought was lost forever along with the fire that night. She told me how a dangerous band of people is after that mighty sword and she had been running and hiding to protect it. Although it gave me small bit of discomfort to see the treasured sword of our country in the hands of a foreigner's hand, especially since it was given to my sister and left with my parents in honor of her death, I knew what she did was correct and merely gave an understanding nod when I took it to my eyes.

"The night was still young when she motioned to the door for her departure. I insisted that she stay for the night but she merely shook her head and thanked me for my kindness and told me how she can not stay in one place for more than a short period of time. I found her clapping her hands and giving a small bow to that Buda over there (Points) when I came back from fetching her, her jacket she had left in the living room. As I made my approach, she turned and gave me a smile before extending her arm and signaled me to open my palms with her eyes.

"That was when she dropped this cross into my hand. I took it with a questioning look of confusion upon my hands. 'What is this for?' I asked.

" Her smile faded away and her face changed to a more focused look. 'I would like to as a favor from you,' said she.

" 'Anything that I can do, I shall,' I replied firmly.

" 'I need you,' she began, 'to hold on to that cross on me for some time. In the years to come, a person shall come in seek of me and that person will not seek me to harm. When that person come, I want you to give that person the cross. He shall know what to do."

" I was about to ask some more questions but she turned, walked out the door, said, 'May the Gods be with you," and disappeared into the fog. And so, I have had this cross ever since."

Kenji took a deep breath and glanced over at Naruto who was gazing down upon his dessert dish, still thinking about the story he had just heard.

"and I believe that person is you, Naruto-kun," Kenji smiled and slid the cross across the table to the young boy, "Who can seek less harm to Yuriko-san then her dear child," he laughed.

"H..how did you…" Naruto looked up with surprise.

"Young boy, I could tell just by the look on your face. Plus, each time I mentioned her name, you seem to squint with remorse. I'm starting to age now and with that comes wisdom. I may no longer be as well off as I was at those times but I'm not just getting these white hairs for nothing you know," he gave an energetic laughter.

"Did she tell you what I'm suppose to do with this?" Naruto asked as he raised and lowered the cross, trying to look at it from every angle possible.

"That, she did not say. The reason to why you're here is because of your mother, is it not? Something bad has happened to her from the looks in those eyes and you are now looking for her? Did your mother tell you anything about the cross before whatever it is that happened to her?" Kenji asked, leaning forward and resting his chin on the back of his hands.

Silence

"I'm sorry, it probably isn't my business," the old man apologized.

"No, she didn't tell me anything," Naruto replied, then flipping his head up with a bright smile he finished off. "Don't worry about it, I'll figure out what she left me this for and what message it contains in no time!" he exclaimed.

"Outta boy! I'm sure you will!" Kenji said jerking his thumb up, holding a large smile upon his face.

The moon shined faintly through the fog. Naruto sat on the back stairs, staring upon the light, softened by the cool night mist, which was different from what he was use to for in Konoha, the light was sharp and bright and no mist to soften the blow. Even so, it gave him the same suiting feeling he always got when he looked upon the stars which gave him a smile when he needed one most. Dangling the small cross in his hand, he watched it sparkle in the soft light of the night.

"You're still awake Naruto?" Kakashi's familiar bored voice came to him from the side.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto looked up.

The two both looked back at the sky with the same eyes and a moment of silence rang through the air.

"Got something you want to talk about?" Kakashi asked.

Silence again.

"I use to hate my mom and dad…" Naruto whispered, "because they had abandoned me. At least, I thought they did. The kids at school would always tell me that, every time when I'm about to forget about it. But now, I don't know what I think about them any more. I still hate them, but at the same time…I can't really explain it."

"I see," Kakashi looked at the boy pensively. Despite how serious the matter sounded, the boy still held his usual easy going smile. "You know what Naruto. To tell you the truth, I was reluctant of this mission and that sword. The sword has been lost for years and no one has seen it. Now, we've got the first clue that lead to it and it's only been 2 days."

"The first clue?"

"Your little pendant there," he replied.

"Huh?"

(A room in the inn)

Sasuke looked out the window upon the same moon the 2 figures below was looking at. He bit his lips hard and slammed his fist upon the table he sat on. It's been just over 1 year since his last…confrontation.

Sasuke fell to the floor with a heavy thud as blood trickled from his head. Itachi watched from the air, still breathing heavily from the fight. Landing back on the ground, he stuttered slightly but managed to stay standing. He had lost all control to his left arm and was badly wounded.

"Sasuke," Itachi spoke quietly, "You're still not strong enough!"

Sasuke's eyes flared open angrily and looked up from where he laid.

With a chuckle, Itachi began to walk away.

"Hold it!" Sasuke shouted and watched his brother stop. "Why do you let me live?" he demanded.

Silence

Itachi glanced back then returned his focus to the front and disappeared.

'Why…what does he want me alive?' Sasuke thought, releasing his lips and biting his teeth together. 'Does he actually think that I will never surpass him? Am I just so insignificant in his eyes?' His fist grasped the empty air tightly.

End…

A short little chapter, I hope you liked it. Also, thank you to everyone in all your supports! I'm very happy about you guys liking my story

Reviews:

Shina-lim: Thank you, unfortunately, due to my tests, I haven't been able to update recently. But I hope you will continue to enjoy the story!

Kist: Thank you for that pointer and so, I changed the summary now. Thank you again

Jasmine Starlight: Lol, take your time, I'm just happy you liked it

Iris: Haha, sorry about that;

Melanie Star: Thank you for your encouragement and now all my exams are done, I can safely said, I DID GOOD! (breaks out a bottle of wine)

Isiri: Thank you, and I love your story very much!

Destiny 1029: You read this before? And here I thought no one noticed my story; Thanks a lot, glad you liked it!

Martial Horror: Me? A great author? Shucks, thank you very much!

Ookamihanyougurl: wahh, so many reviews! Thank you so much! Unfortunately, this story won't be a Yaoi but I hope you will still like it!

Marise-Faia: Thanks for your support!

Toomanypickles: Haha, that's ok, glad you liked it. Take it easy on those pickles lol


	10. Beginning of the Hunt

Ch10

"Speech"

'Thought'

"W..Why can't I beat him…" Sasuke cursed as his second stage seal faded away, returning him to his original body.

"_You'll never beat me," Itachi chuckled._

"_What!" Sasuke's eyes flared as he looked up at his brother's back._

"_As long as you are under Orochimaru, you'll never win," he chuckled once more._

"_How do you beat someone by learning from someone weaker than you?" Itachi laughed , mockingly. "You want to beat me?"_

Foolish little brother. You're weak. Why are you weak? Let me tell you. There isn't enough, not enough hatred in you, that's why. You want to get stronger? Hate me, hate me more, and do all that you can to survive. 

_You're not worth killing._

_Sasuke woke upon the hospital bed, sweat still rolling coldly down his face. 'Why…' he snarled in his mind, 'What keeps him from killing me?' he demanded. _

_OOOOOOOOOO_

_Sounds of clashing of bone to wood echoed in the darkened forest. Clouds hung low in the sky and lightning roared against the wind's howl. Rain poured down the young Shinobi's face as he forced everything he had to stand. His hands and feet bled from the splinters of the timber poll he had been fighting. "NO!" he shouted as he through another fist at the poll, landing with a heavy knock. "I will surpass you!" exclaimed Sasuke as he threw one last punch, splitting the poll down the middle from the impact. His breathing slowed and his eyes grew heavy. 'Damn it,' he thought as he swayed to the floor._

_It was still raining when morning came. Sasuke's eyes opened tiredly and looked around. He was still in the field. He tried to get up but his body refused. With some difficulty, he rolled over to face the sky. The rain continued to wash his muddy face. "Tchi…" he hissed before clenching his hand into a fist of frusturation and closed his eyes once more._

Light danced it's way through the window where a girl laid asleep, landing steadily upon her face to which she squinted to before opening her eyes to see that another dawn had passed. Looking around, it took her a while to realize that she was not at her home in Konoha and click in on the fact that she was still in the middle of a mission. With a tall stretch and a yawn as she made her way to the open window, she rubbed her eyes to get a better focus of the outside view. Mist greeted her as far as her eyes could see. The only solid structure she saw was a few roofs of the buildings on the opposite side of the street and what appears to be a road sign just below. She took in the morning air with a deep breath. It was clean and fresh, even better than the mountain air where she had spent the her slumber two nights past. 'This air is…delicious' was the only word she could think of to describe it in words. The mist had forced all the dust to the ground and at the second floor window, the dense vapors were condensed below and only the pureness of the morning breath jived above.

"You wish! I'll take you on any time, dreamer!" the loud challenge of the blond boy was heard from below.

Sakura shifted her glance to where the ruckus was coming from. She could barely make out 2 figures, one standing straight, the other waving his fist eagerly.

"You're an annoyance, you're nothing Dobe, you're insignificant in my eyes," Sasuke replied with his back toward his rival.

"Why you…" Naruto waved his fist more furiously in the air pathetically, as though if he waved hard enough, it might make the great Uchiha kneel down before him in terror.

Sakura's face turned from an amused smile of the usual argument of the other two members of her team to that of concern. There was a certain seriousness in Sasuke's voice that the arrogant blond may not have been able to pick up but she did. Half of his tone was of a mocking humoring tone while the other was more deeper, more darker, something that sounded like it came from the old Sasuke when he was still consumed by the seal of Orochimaru.

Changing out from her pajamas, she made her way down the stairs. Kakashi was standing before the Buda statue, looking upon it as a humble priest would. He gave a welcoming smile upon seeing her arrival and gave a nod with a "Morning."

"Good morning Kakashi-sensei," Sakura replied.

"Hey Sakura-san, you're awake!" Kenji greeted her with a cheerful laugh, "Breakfast is on the table and my wife already made you guys your lunch. You guys are going to stay around here for a few more days right? Just use this inn like it's your second home."

"Thank you Kenji-san," she bowed politely.

"Something wrong Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked as she looked at her teacher looking curiously to the statue.

"Kenji-san," he suddenly started, "you told us that Yoriko-san was looking at this statue when you retrieved her jacket for her correct?"

"Huh, yes…what about it?" Kenji raised his eyebrows.

"Have this Buda always never had the jewel upon it's forehead?" he continued to question.

"I don't recall it ever having a jewel in it's forehead at any point in time. It must have fallen out before I was even born to this world for it is something that's been in the family for quite some time now."

"I see…"

Sakura moved beside her teacher to look at the statue to which he was so interested in. Her eyes opened suddenly, "Kakashi-sensei, could this be…", she gasped.

"Yes, I am almost positive of it," he replied. Turning his attention to the bewildered man who also was looking upon the statue, clueless to what the Jounin and his quick witted student was seeing he told the man to call the other two back.

Naruto and Sasuke walked in with the old man and all 5 stood before the statue now. "You're saying this thing may hold some clue to the whereabouts of the sword?" Sasuke glanced to the side.

"Look at the location where in a normal Buda statue would contain a jewel. Do you see that round ditch with a skinny rectangular hole?" Kakashi pointed.

Naruto stuck his neck forward with the old man and the two squinted to get better focus. "Yea, what about it?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto, do you still not get it?" Sakura sighed to the boy's slow wittedness as Naruto gave a few more blinks at the statue.

"The cross and the pendant!" he finally bursted out.

"Precisely," Kakashi nodded.

Kenji's mouth opened wide with astonishment, "Well I'll be damned," he whispered to himself, "So that cross that I've held on to for all these years was a key?" he asked.

Kakashi walked up and began to knock the statue, "It does not appear to be hollow," he announced, scratching his head, "But that jewel slot seems too much of a coincidence to be shaped like that."

"Shall we see if it fits?" Kenji asked.

"Well, that is up to you?" Kakashi replied as Kanji gave him another look of confusion. "I don't know what will happen to this statue once we unlock it. From the looks of things, I don't see any marks to mark where it will open so for all that I know, it may just fall apart. We'll understand if you do not wish for us to open it," he replied.

A moment of silence came through the air as the team looked upon the man. "Bah!" he blunted, waving his hands as though to shoo a fly. "Just open it, that was just something my great grandfather bought when he went to a hot spring as a souvenir anyways."

"Thank you," Kakashi gave a small bow then glanced over to Naruto who nodded, knowing what his teacher wanted him to do.

He walked over to the statue and took the cross from his pocket and the pendant from his neck into the palm of his hand. First, he pushed the cross straight into the hole. It was a perfect fit with a satisfying click that signaled it has reached the end. Next was the pendant. He pushed it in to the ditch, which also fit with a click. He backed away to see if something would happen. Breathing came to a halt and muscles tensed between the 5 individuals that lined and waited for what was to come.

Through the curious eyes of Sakura, she noticed a tremble. Naruto swallowed hard as his neck attempted to stretch farther as though those extra few millimeters could allow him to see anything that he would not at where his head was. 'What is this mission for Naruto,' Sakura wondered, 'I know that this mission is probably special but to what extent? For if we could not find the sword in the next five days, what will he say?' Her eyes began to grow more of concern for the hotheaded ninja.

A crack caught the attention of all who focused their attention upon the statue. Straight down the center, splitting the bronze ornament to front and back, a line appeared where wind, though only slightly, blew out. All of their eyes opened in astonishment as a second crack was heard, splitting the statue into two and the front and back fell like an unfolding flower with only two petals, revealing it's center, which beheld a scroll.

Kakashi looked down upon the two fallen sides and saw there was indeed a rectangular ditch to where the scroll was hidden. 'Amazing, this statue had been cut before yet it is so cleanly cut. Could it have been the wave breaker's doings? Not on that, she managed to reassemble it without any noticeable trace of her doings. She's good…' Kakashi admired.

"Should we take that scroll?" Naruto asked, stuttering slightly.

"I think so…" Sakura replied hesitantly.

Naruto moved up cautiously and extended his hand toward his prize. He took the scroll to his hand. It small, only about the size of a palm. He looked upon it curiously for a while before untying the string that bound it closed. All eyes now fell upon the unraveling scroll.

The earth and sun meets above the white ocean before the end When the fallen leaves whisper 

_Let the devil be of your guide to what you seek upon this highest peak_

_And find it beneath the brightest spike of the night_

"A riddle?" Kenji asked.

"It appears so," Kakashi replied.

"What does it mean?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.

(Time pass)

Kakashi leaned against the sidewall with his arms folded and a bored expression on his face as the afternoon sun beamed his side through the open window. The three teens sat around a small table where the scroll was placed open upon it's center. A small vein popped in the impatient blonde's forehead as he stared angrily at the words that seemed to mock him as it lay upon its wooden bed.

A sudden lightning struck his head as his eyes brightened. "I think I know where the sword is!" he gasped to himself as the other three turned his way.

"You got it Naruto?" Sakura confirmed.

"Yea!"

"Lett's hear it,"

"Alright, Where earth meets sun above the white ocean, I think that might be a mountain top above the clouds." He explained.

"But that could be anywhere. The sun moves throughout the day and the year," Sakura argued.

"That's why it says 'Before the end'" Naruto gave a wink, "Meaning, before the day's end so sun set."

"Still, what about…Fallen leaves!" Sakura gasped.

"Exactly, leaves fall in the autumn. So that means, we are to look at where the sun sets at autumn upon a mountain."

"Good work Naruto," Kakashi said firmly, "Let's start heading west to the mountain range. If we leave now, we should be able to clear the fog at just before sunset to locate that mountain from the mountain range.

"Wow Naruto, I can't believe YOU got the riddle," Sakura sighed.

"Simple minds are better at these things," Sasuke grinned.

"WHAT!" Naruto jumped out of his seat angrily.

(Minutes Later)

"You lads are headed out now huh?" Kenji said.

"Yes, thank you for your hospitality," Sakura bowed.

"Alright then, you fellas be careful now. I've heard some unsoundly things about that place." Kenji nodded.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Naruto raised his hand as a good bye.

The group gave one final bow before turning around and headed into the afternoon sun. Through the dense mist, it was no more than a small white orb. One could look straight into it with no pain to their eyes.

They stopped at the gate to the city and turned around one last time toward civilization. "Alright, we only have 4 and half days left, we won't rest until we reach mountain range," Kakashi commanded.

"HAI!" three voices sounded strongly.

The horizon began to tint in orange as precipitation slid down their faces. The fog was beginning to clear and they can see faintly in the distance, the shadowy outline of a mountain range. In the middle, one peaked higher than all others, rising high into the clouds, was a peak to which the sun sat comfortably upon it as though it was a throne.

"That must be it," Naruto pointed.

"Yea, keep moving, we're almost there," Kakashi ordered, then with one brief moment of collecting his bounce, he picked up his pace with a swift lunge. The three followed in a line

"They're on the move," a voice whispered in the shadows into the receiver.

"Good, keep your distance and follow them." Came a reply.

"After this, I want you all to leave me and my family be! I don't want any part of you!" Touji demanded.

"Just do your work and your family's safety will be insured," the dark voice chuckled and the phone clicked off.

(Akatsuki lair)

"We'll have it soon" a figure laughed.

"Who will go to retrieve it?" another voice asked.

"Let me, I have some personal matters to deal with anyways," Itachi stepped forward.

The eyes upon the figure narrowed slightly but then gave a nod, "Very well, do it quickly," it ordered.

End…

Reviews

Shina-lim: Thank you, hope you enjoy this one too

Ookami Hanyougurl: Lol, I'm not a really big Yaoi fan. I found a few that was really funny that I liked but never really looked at the "Serious" ones, haha! The pairing for this story is the same as Anime although slight different cause times are in the future and it's my guess on what Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto would be like.

Kawaii Hisui: lol, thanks

Iiiris: you said something like that the last time too lol. I guess this story don't get update that fast does it? But hey, quality over quantity right?


	11. Final Stance

Ch11

Final Stance

_Continuing from the flash back of the previous chapter:_

_The rain continued to wash his muddy face. "Tchi…" he hissed before clenching his hand into a fist of frusturation and closed his eyes once more. A crinkle was heard as he softened the grip on his hand. Before his fading vision, a small note was placed in his hand unknowingly. With some difficulty, he drew it closer to his eyes for a better look. _

_It wrote, "The time approaches, Our next may be your last."_

_Sasuke's eyes widened with a choke from the pain in his stomach. He held that small cut of paper before his eyes and read the message over and over again with a speechless look on his face. Then, as his hand fell of exhaustion and consciousness began to fade, his lips curved upwards with a dark yet satisfying grin._

_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

_Salty drops fell to the earth as the sun beat down its blazing rays, drying up what little humidity that was left in Konoha forest. The boy drew in deep breaths as he rang his thirsty throat. The sounds of summer bugs howled with uncanny hymns and even the wind blew hot air against the cries of the leaves._

Mental, physical, spiritual, all was reaching its limits as the boy calmed himself and focused into a trans-like state. His muscles began to flex as though he was lifting a heavy load although his appearance remained relaxed. As he clenched the two fingers he held for his "Yin" vessels began to appear on the corners of his closed eyes. His relaxed expression began to fall as the boy bit his teeth hard as though he was struggling to keep his pose.

'_I will surpass you…' his thought darkly as a purple-blue aura began to evaporate around his feet. 'and I will do it in my own way…' "Haaa…." The boy began to call, still keeping his eyes closed, 'You will not be the one to tell me what I need and do not need anymore! The only one I will follow will be my own will…' "gah!" the boy was about to cough but he held it in forcefully, "The next time we meet," his voice grew with volume with each word, "Will be your last!" he finished as he opened his eyes. The three pupils of the Sharingan spun rapidly as his surrounding chakura appeared as though was being sucked into the spiral._

_An exploding wave of gust boomed through the forest making it as though the mightiest tree was bending back from the force. The boom was followed by utter silence. Not a peep, not even a summer bug's cry was heard. At the center of the deafening event was the boy who chuckled coldly with his eyes shadowed by his bangs._

Night fell slowly as the sun faded behind the pyramidal shadow before the four's eyes. A small sign ahead wrote "Kouki Mountain", marking the existence of such a grand sight at this remote inhabited land. It was unusually dry and warm at the foot of this steep incline of earth. Only small grass and vegetation spread ahead ending to some rocky grounds at the sign.. The air was still and thin. It has been a general uphill the entire time and they had already ran quite some height from sea level. Normally, they may not have even noticed the difference, but the heavy breathing from the hours of running require ever ounce of air they could pump into their lungs.

"Is everyone alright?" Kakashi glanced back at his team.

"I'm fine," Naruto replied energetically, though his steps showed a different answer.

"It's not far now but night's fallen and it would be difficult to maneuver across those rocks at our conditions." Sakura puffed.

"Yea, we'll stop at the rocks and spend the night there. We'll start first thing in the morning on the climb so be prepared!" Kakashi ordered.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Naruto rested his back against one of the boulders and stretched out his arms with an expression on his face that said, "boy am I glad that we stopped running." There was an eerie atmosphere as they prepared to sleep. The wind wasn't quite blowing in the right direction? The rocks seemed out of place? Something about that desolated place held a high suspense in the air. The shadows made by the dimly lit moon outlined an almost monstrous life to the lifeless mountain. It was enough to make Sakura quiver at the thought.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

"Hello?" a voice called nervously into the cell phone.

"What news do you bring me?" came a reply.

"They're at Kouki Mountain and I heard something about a climb so I'm pretty sure they're headed to the top. Is this enough? Will you let us be!" Touji asked desperately.

"You've done well, as promised, I shall spare your family," (click) "Sasuke…this is your final chance. Tomorrow, fate will have to decide your life," Itachi closed his eyes as sounds of screaming echoed in his ears. He bit his lips and shook it off then began his way to the mountains.

Ooooooooooooooooo

A sudden chill shocked Sasuke's back as he jolted his head to the distance. "Something wrong Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked sleepily as she rubbed her eyes.

A moment of silence paused the air, broken only by the snoring of the blond teen. "No, it's nothing," Sasuke finally replied and closed his eyes once more.

Morning came quietly. No sound of birds' chirping, the wind was at a dead stop. 'This place is freaky even during morning,' Sakura thought as she looked up to the top of the mountain.

"Sakura-chan? What's up with you?" Naruto looked over curiously.

"These types of places isn't exactly a place I'm too fond of," she forced a nervous smile and picked a a small rock.

"Really? Sakura-chan with all her brute force is still afraid of rocks of weird shapes huh?" Naruto laughed.

"What do you mean 'Brute Force'!" she shouted as the rock in her hand shattered in her grip.

"That…" Naruto sweat dropped and pointed.

Silence

"Shut up!" Sakura pouted and blushed.

Kakashi smiled under his mask, 'they're still kids,' he thought. "Alright you guys, stop fooling around. Let's get going, I want to reach the top by noon!" he announced.

Revitalized by their sleep, the way up was smooth, quick… and loud. It took them a mere 2hours to reach the top. Any normal man may have taken a day. The air was thin but clean, cleaner than they have ever tasted. The sun was still in the west, casting a golden glow upon the earth. Mother nature has truly used all of it's colors to create such a scene that could only be described as "spectacular".

With one last deep breath from Kakashi, the break was over. The group turned where four caves greeted them. All seemed so alike that it didn't seemed to have been done by nature but by the hands of men. The same perfect arc across the top, the same length of stalagmites and stalactites, even the amount of molds growing on any particular rock seemed to be the same.

"So which one do we enter?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know…" Naruto gave a small shrug, "Let's just pick one and if we don't find it, we'll go to a different one."

"Naruto…" Kakashi gave a sigh, "You don't even know how deep these caves are, it could take a whole day just searching and we don't have time like that."

"Hmm," the blond ninja groaned.

"The devil's guide," Sasuke started, "The devil's hand is your left hand so we just continue down the most left tunnel and continue down from there. If the road splits inside then we just keep going down the one most left, that the only clue we have to follow if you ask me."

"Well no one asked you!" Naruto snapped his head back angrily.

"Maybe if you used your head more intellectually rather than mechanically then you would understand these things," Sasuke replied calmly.

"What do you mean mechanically!" Naruto grabbed the collar of Sasuke's shirt forcefully.

"Haha, Your team is as lively as ever Kakashi-san," came a voice over the chattering.

Sasuke immediately turned with a flare of rage in his eyes, "Uchiha…Itachi!". His eyes focused upon the direction in which the figure approached.

"And so we finally meet again, are you ready?" Itachi said calmly.

"Yes, today will be our last fight. You will die…today," Sasuke replied as he closed his eyes.

"Foolish little brother," Itachi laughed, "I see your rage is still there. How far has your rage taken you this time?"

"You!" Naruto exclaimed, "I'm gonna kick your…"

"Naruto, Stay out of this!" Sasuke exclaimed roughly, stopping naruto's words in their tracks.

"What the hell are you talking about? You planning to take him alone?"

"A drop out like you will just get in my way. This is my fight and mine alone!"

"Why you…"

"Naruto," Kakashi pulled upon the boy's shoulder.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto looked back.

"Let him go. This is what his dedicated his life to. If you jump in…he might kill you," Kakashi sighed.

Both Naruto and Sakura's eyes opened as a memory flashed in their mind.

"I'm an avenger…I don't have any dreams but I do have an ambition and that is to kill that man someday."

It was the past Sasuke. The Sasuke still confined by the seal of Orochimaru. The sickening smile of a murderer that he wore on his face with a sense of pride. The Sasuke with hunger for power and thirst for blood. Just the thought sent a tenseness to their muscles as she swallowed loudly.

"Naruto-kun, don't worry, you will be next. All 8 jinchyuriki has been obtained and you possess the final and most power one of all. It is your turn now," Itachi announced casually.

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"My anger toward you is still here," Sasuke grinned coolly, "But it's no longer what drives me."

Itachi's eye twitched and Kakashi's widened.

"I still hold every anger, furry, madness, everything for what you have done. But I've realized that I've got some precious comrades, a new family. I've lost everything once already, I won't stand and watch them disappear again!" he exclaimed.

"Sasuke…" Kakashi gasped.

Sakura turned her head just as Naruto turned her way with a surprised look on his face. Their eyes met for a few moments. Then the blond haired ninja revealed a large smile and held out his thumb up to her in a "Nice guy" pose, "I told you, Sasuke is strong!"

"Heh," Itachi chuckled, "Do you honestly believe that the result will be different from before?"

The smile on Sasuke's face widened as he put his hands together in a Yin. "As a matter of facts…" he took in a deep breath, "Mangekyou Sharingan!" he opened his eyes abruptly to reveal his 3 pupils, spinning rapidly. Then slowly, they merged into a triangle as their swirl came to a slow stop.

"Nani!" an exclaim was heard from all 4 ninjas that stood by.

"I do," Sasuke finished his sentence and breathed out.

End…

Reviews

Sorry for the long wait. I hope you guys are still with me. Hope you liked the chapter. Don't forget to review I hope I'll get a bit more than last time

Shia-lim: This was the soonest I could update. Hope you've enjoyed it. Thanks for all your support

Melanie Star: Hey you updated! I just noticed as I clicked on your name when I'm writing this reply to you. It's a bit late over here now so I'll make sure to read it tomorrow and give you a review.

Iiiris: Haha, movie 9 so far has been awesome. Hopefully I'll finish translating by next week. I'm sending Kaze sections of it as I work so you guys can get started on editing it as I continue translate it. Let's make this release something to be remembered…in a good way :-)

MingShun: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. More to come, tons more! Hope you'll like them just as much

Celestial Jade: Haha, I was told to make my summary better cause before I just wrote "Ch5 up……R&R" by someone so I actually sat down and thought about it for a while. Sorry if my chapters are a bit short each but I'm prefer quality over quantity and so does everyone right? Lol, thanks for your support

If you like this story and don't review, I'll…I'll!…I'll…umm…yea…………….give reviews!

Thanks Mingshun for catching that mistake. I actually wrote a small scene back in Konoha which I deleted later on and I must have missed a bit. Sorry bout that all and thanks again for telling me


	12. Yuruse Sasuke Part1

Ch12

_Clink…..Clink clink…clink._

"_You're still at it huh Sasuke," Itachi smiled with a sigh and jumped off the stairs of the back yard of his house._

"_Oh, niisan." Sasuke turned, revealing his sweaty muddy face. Itachi chuckled at the uncanny shape of his younger brother. "What's so funny," Sasuke pouted._

"_It's nothing," Itachi waved, "What have you been practicing for so long?"_

"_I'm not practicing, I'm training!" Sasuke corrected angrily._

"_Alright, alright, what have you been training for so long?" Itachi laughed._

"_Remember that time you took me training with you to the forest and how you used one Kunai and bounced it to another to hit the target? I've been trying to do the same!" Sasuke replied cheerfully._

"_Haha, that would take a while," Itachi walked over and patted Sasuke on the head._

_Sasuke shook his brother's touch embarrassingly, "I know," he replied, "I'm only using 3 Kunais right now but I'll be just as good as you are by the end of the year, you'll see!" His eyes showed a childish determination as one would see them saying how they want to be a doctor or a lawyer._

_Itachi laughed again. "What ever you say kiddo," he smiled to Sasuke with his eyes and began to walk back in._

"_Niisan!" the small boy called._

"_What is it?" Itachi stopped and turned his head back to the small figure._

"_You've been saying you'd help me train one of these days and you never do. Now that you're here, how about at least seeing what I can do," Sasuke nagged._

_Itachi looked up and gave a sigh. "Why not, I still have a little time before my meeting. Alright Sasuke, show me what you've got."_

"_Alright, don't get too surprised and pull your back," Sasuke chuckled and readied his Kunais. Itachi took a few steps back and folded his arms. The autumn wind began to pick up, tearing the leaves from the trees. 3 targets formed a triangle. Two on the tops of two trees and one on the ground by the root of one of them._

_Sasuke breezed in. He was nervous. He didn't know why but he was nervous. He could feel his heart trying to speed every beat but he managed to keep his anxiety in tact. With the calming of the winds, he tossed one Kunai, straight and high into the air. As the Kunai approached it's maximum height, he jumped up as though to meet it head on. Taking a quick at his 3 targets, he crossed his arms, holding one Kunai to each hand, as though he was embracing himself._

_Just then, another gust of wind blew, a strong one which forced a great deal of leaves from the trees. One landed right on Sasuke's left eye, blocking his vision. He shook it off with a rough twist of his head but by the time he focused back to the falling Kunai, he realized that it was headed straight for him and no time to dodge it. He raised his arms as a final attempt to block. He bit his teeth together and held his breath and waited for the sharp blade of the Kunai to hit his skin. _

_His eyes opened with a gasp when the sound of 2 metal clashing echoed to his ear which was followed by a shove on his side. By the time he snapped back to reality, he realized he was in the arms of his brother. _

"_You alright Sasuke?" Itachi asked, lowering the tiny boy to the ground._

_Sasuke bit his lips and turned his back._

"_You were right, that did surprise me enough to almost pull my back," Itachi laughed._

"_That wasn't what I had in mind," Sasuke grumbled._

"_You were doing alright until your little fumble, keep it up," Itachi smiled, "I have to get to the meeting now."_

"_You're leaving already?" Sasuke flipped around surprisingly quickly._

"_I'll see you another day, I don't have anymore time now," Itachi explained_

"_You never have time for me," Sasuke muttered._

_Itachi came down to match his height and released a long sigh. Then, opening his eyes, he signaled Sasuke to come closer. Curious, the small boy walked over, then before he had the time to react, Itachi gave him a poke to his head. "Forgive me Sasuke, I've got lots of things to do," said he before walking out of the backyard gates and down the street._

_Sasuke turned back to his three targets. Three Kunais were stuck firmly upon the three targets at the center of the circles that decorated it's surface. Sasuke narrowed his eyes angrily, mostly at himself. His open palm clutched into a fist as he walked over and plucked the weapons out _

_Ooooooooooooooooooooo_

_Itachi walked back from his meeting which had gone slightly over time. The light rain that fell from the skies chilled the air enough that he could see his breath in the air. It was mid afternoon and he hasn't eaten anything since breakfast at 6am. _

"_I'm home," he called, opening the door._

_He walked into the kitchen where his mom was already preparing for supper. "Anything to eat?" he asked._

"_I left your meal in the fridge with Sasuke's. Speaking of which, can you call him in for lunch?" his mom replied._

"_Sasuke hasn't eaten yet either?"_

"_I told him to but he said, 'If you can handle not eating lunch than so can he,' and he wouldn't listen to me,"_

"_Me?"_

"_It's called sibling rivalry but I guess you wouldn't know that would you. Now will you hurry up and call him before faints from hunger?"_

"_Where is he?"_

"_In the back yard," _

"_His still practicing?"_

"_His got a pretty high goal and that boy, just like your father, won't listen once his made up his mind,"_

"_I see, alright, I'll get him," _

"_Thank you,"_

_oooooooooooooooooooo_

_Itachi walked around the corner which lead to the hallway to the back yard. He could see Sasuke, standing in the rain, looking even more muddier than when he had seen him earlier._

"_I'll get him," Itachi heard a mutter through the sounds of pelting rain._

"_I teach him to show me off like that and leave. He'll see," Sasuke grinded his teeth as he readied a few Kunais._

_A small amused smirk appeared on Itachi's lips as he listened to the boy's mutter. He moved forward slightly to take a better look. He raised a brow as Sasuke tossed 3 Kunai's into the air and jumped with a flip. As the boy hung in the air upside down, he took a quick glance at the 7 targets that laid across the yard. With a quick twist of his hand, he released three of the 4 he held in his hand. The three released hit the 3 falling Kunai. 5 of which landed in the center of 5 different targets. With one last flip, he returned right side up and threw the final Kunai in his hand. One of which landed slightly off center of a target while the other missed just to the right of the target. He landed lightly to the ground and bit his lips at the 2 failures. _

_Itachi watched wide eyed and stunned for a few moments. 'His improved that much over the time I went to that meeting?' A grin appeared upon his face as he stood there a few moments more to watch the tired ninja in training and walked over. "Sasuke, it's lunch time." He called, "Hurry up and get in here before you catch a cold._

"_Niisan! Coming!" Sasuke replied cheerfully._

_Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_

Chakura swam around the young teens feet like water in a whirlpool. A sinister smirk struck upon his face as he took in the surprised face of his foe. The wind whispered a whistle as it ran through the cave behind them, which acted as a substitution to the crushing silence rather than relief.

"Kakashi-sensei, what are those eyes?" Naruto swallowed hard.

"Mangekyou Sharingan," Kakashi explained, "The highest level of Sharingan. You remember how much more powerful Sasuke's Sharingan became after it evolved from 2 pupils to three when you fought him at the falls, do you not?" Naruto nodded. "This goes beyond that of the three pupils. Not many from the Uchiha clan have even possessed it in all its history. Not even I have been able to find out how to unleash those eyes." 'Sasuke…have you surpassed me now?'

"Uchiha…Itachi…" Sasuke growled, "it will all end here!"

"Sasuke…" Naruto gasped.

Itachi returned back to his calm expression. "I'm impressed Sasuke," he spoke casually, "I have to admit that I wasn't expecting you to have come this far."

"Heh, don't pull your back once you've seen how far I've really improved," Sasuke replied.

"I'm not going to be saving you if you make a fool of yourself again," Itachi smirked.

"You're the one that's going to need to be saved today," Sasuke chuckled.

"First answer me this, how did you get those eyes? You know what you need to do in order to achieve those eyes," Itachi straightened his back and looked Sasuke in his eyes.

"Sharingan is used to copy," Sasuke replied.

"You copied the Mangekyou Sharingan!" Kakashi choked.

"You cannot copy an upgrade of an eye. But I was able to copy where he summoned his Chakura to. Throughout the few times that I've confronted him, I've watched his every movement, every pose, every focus point of his chakura. Of course, I had to discover a few minor differentiations myself." Sasuke's grin widened slightly.

'He managed to copy the Mangekyou Sharingan only after a few sighting. Is this what they call the Uchia's genius?' Kakashi watched, still wide eyed and speechless.

"Perhaps it was a mistake on my side to have shown you that technique every time we've met," Itachi sighed, "but I guess there's no rolling the clock back now," he shifted his weight and took a fighting stance, "I still need to deliver Naruto-kun, sorry but I don't have time to play with you today Sasuke."

Itachi readied some Kunais inside his sleeve on his right hand and focused his Chakura for his Sharingan. Kakashi took off his headband from his right eye. The three pupils appeared almost casually upon his eyes as Itachi looked back up to Sasuke, about to launch his first strike. The two Sharingan holder's eyes widened as the boy's figure entered their vision. "His a replicate!" they gasped. Sakura and Naruto turned to their teacher in a questioning expression. Just as their heads finished turning, a cracking sound entered their ears. They immediately flipped back to the fight.

Itachi looked down as the ground below him began to crack. "Shit," he spat. He took a few small jumps back but the crack followed him tightly. He clenched his teeth together as his back met a bolder, his eyes focused to the approaching crack. Then he flipped his head up with a surprised look on his face as he spun around quickly and pulled his hand out of his sleeve in a defensive stance.

Sasuke jumped out from behind the bolder and swung down hard with his kunai. Itachi blocked it inches away from his face. His eyes widened once more as he looked at the boy's face. "This one's a shadow replicate!" His eyes turned to the Kunai which the replicate was holding. The red tag tied to the end sparked just as a shadow appeared behind him.

Another Sasuke sprung from below, through the crack, and latched himself upon Itachi's body, holding him in his place. Itachi's eyes turned back to the burning tag on the kunai and stretched even wider as the flames burnt through to the end. A bright flash of white light erupted as a loud explosion followed. Naruto and Sakura covered their eyes with their arms as a cloud of dust flew to them. Sounds of falling debris was heard as the two opened one eye to see what has happened. The dust began to clear and three shadows began to show more clearly through it. One standing and two on the floor. The two on the floor disappeared into a puff of smoke, leaving the one that still stood. The dust cleared further.

"That's Itachi!" Naruto shouted.

"Is it over?" Sakura swallowed.

"No, up there!" Kakashi nudged his head to the direction.

Itachi's figure can be seen floating in the air. Their eyes fell back to the one on the ground and realized that it was melting into mud. "Kawarimi…" Sakura gasped.

Itachi looked down at the large crater that was left on the ground where the explosion had just happened pensively. A face suddenly appeared before him, or rather, a purpleish figure shaped like Sasuke's face through his sharingan. He swung his Kunai through it and the replication faded.

Another appeared, this time at his back which was quickly followed by another and one after another which all faded as quickly as it appeared. A swarm of purplish cloud surrounded him as he searched intensely for the true form. His eyes sprung full size as he felt a heavy blow on his back. Before he could react, he felt another heavy punch to the stomach.

"It's not over yet," Sasuke breathed heavily as he gave two more jabs to the stomach before spinning up above. Itachi glanced sideways up, only to see Sasuke's heal coming down toward him. It landed hard on the side of Itachi's side glancing face, sending him crashing to the floor in the center of the crater.

Sasuke landed lightly back to the ground calmly.

'He used Sharingan's ability to tell replicates from the true form as an advantage. Incredible!'

'Sasuke-kun's still as cool as ever!' Sakura skipped as she watched, still amazed by the attack that had just occurred.

"Sasuke! That was awesome!" Naruto shouted, "Keep it up, kick his ass!"

"Stop cheering," Sasuke blunted coldly.

The fallen figure stood up as it breathed out slowly. Itachi patted the back of his neck and rotated his head a few rounds before focusing back to his opponent. His hair shadowed parts of his eyes as he patted some dirt off his garb.

'His barely taken any damage!' Sakura gasped.

"It looks like…" Itachi sighed, "that I will actually have to take you seriously now. That one actually hurt a bit." He finished and looked up, revealing his Mangekyou Sharingan. Sasuke shot a grin, the grin that Naruto was so fimiliar with, the grin of strong confidence, mixed with great excitement.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune ran through the doors of the Hokage's office.

"Shizune, what's up?" Tsunade looked up from her pile of paper works.

"There's someone here to see you,"

"I don't recall any appointments."

"He says it's urgent and needs to speak to you right away."

"What sort of urgency?"

"Something about Naruto-kun and them,"

"…Alright, send him in,"

oooooooooooooooooooo

"Let's see how much you're able to use those eyes now Sasuke," Itachi put his hands together with a smile. He shut his eyes for a short while. Sasuke knew what was coming and did the same. He had been training for this moment since his first meeting with his older brother. He knew that the one to win in what was about to happen would have a definite upper hand in the fight.

The two's eyes opened as though a sudden jolt had struck them. "Tsukiyomi," The two focused upon eachother. Color began to fade around them and the sun lost it's glow. Sasuke ran forward, holding out his Kunai in one hand and formed an in with the other.

"Katon, Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" he shouted. A large orb of fire directed itself toward Itachi. Itachi narrowed his eyes then kicked hard off the ground, shooting straight into the fire. Sasuke raised the hand with the Kunai and swung down, pinpointing the exact moment Itachi jumped through the flames. Itachi straightened his body, diving under the attack and as he continued to fly to the back of Sasuke, he threw three Kunais.

With a side glance, he placed his hand to his back, holding the hole on the end of the handle of the kunai up. Swaying to the side, he dodged two of the three and catched the last one in the hole of the Kunai. Itachi stood without a movement.

"You'll have to do better than that," Sasuke chuckeled and raised a palm to the left of his face. Just then Itachi jumped from the right and with a fist shooting toward where Sasuke had raised his palm. The figure faded as the fist flew through the young teen. Sasuke's eyes widened as a heavy blow from his right, sending him flying a few yards back.

"You'll have to do better than that…Sasuke," Itachi regained his stance calmly.

Sasuke rubbed his face and felt a small trickle of blood run down his lips. He narrowed his eyes and glared as he got back to his feet.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"You do know that by doing what you're doing right now, you're jeopardizing yours and your entire family's lives right?" Tsunade sat back into her seat.

"Perhaps, but I know what they're capable of but I can't let the end of the world just happen before my eyes," Touji bit his lips.

Tsunade looked at him pensively, "Jiraiya," she called, "You heard it right?"

"Yeah," Jiraiya jumped in through the window, "I had an unsettling feeling for sometime now."

"Stay here, I need to talk to you afterwards," Tsunade ordered.

"Touji, I will send a few ANBU's to get your children and bring them here for safe keeping, is that alright with you?"

Touji's eyes sparkled, "Yes! Thank you!"

"Alright, I'll ask a few more questions to you in a bit. But for now, wait for me outside," she pointed.

"I understand," Touji bowed and exited the room. Tsunade gave a side glance to Shizune and the young medical-nin nodded knowingly and followed Touji out, closing the door behind her.

"Jiraiya?" Tsunade looked up.

"From what I have been able to gather, there were 7 particular kidnapping cases that I've found in the past 2 years that still remains a mystery today. I tried to learn more but they were all from different countries and all of them had records but not much was written on them." He said.

"You think that these are the 7 jinchyurikis?"

"I can't say for sure but they all occurred soon after the Kazekage's death."

"There hasn't been any reports by any guards saying that they spotted any of the Akatsuki, not even in parts of the forest where we have previously been able to detect their scent or some trace of they left behind for the past two years."

"Now that they have 8 of the 9," Jiraiya continued, "The only one that's left is Naruto,"

"But why did they choose Naruto as the last one to take? There must have been more chances than now for them to have struck."

"They've been gathering members. In our last attack, we did manage to take out a few of them,"

"Jiraiya, I'll send you to where Naruto is."

"I know,"

"Tell them that their time is up and they are to return to the village right away,"

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sasuke and Itachi gasped for air as they hit the ground with a loud thud. They were both about to make another attack but a sudden pain through their body stopped them. Color began to return to their surrounding and the sun regained it's glow. They could feel the wind and the chilly air of the mountain against the sides of their faces. Just as everything returned to normal, the two of them kneeled to the ground, breathing heavily but never taking their eyes off of eachother.

"W..What…Kakashi-sensei, what's going on. They were standing there for like 2 minutes and now they're on the ground!" Naruto turned his head back and forth toward the fighter and his teacher with confusion.

"That is what Mangekyou Sharingan is," Kakashi replied, "The individual caught by it will have all senses taken over by their opponents. Because they both posses the same technique, they were both caught by each other's technique or rather counter acted each other's technique. They must have been fighting through their minds until now."

"You've…gotten strong," Itachi chocked as he clutched his stomach.

"Heh heh," Sasuke chuckled weakly, trying to keep his vision in focus.

'Damn it, I used up most of my Chakura from that,' thought Sasuke, ' I'll have to end this soon or my body won't hold,' he could feel his legs shaking from just the strain under his kneeled position. He knew Itachi was in the same condition and probably thinking the same thing.

The two struggled back to their feet with some difficulty and huffed a breath to calm them selves before returning to a fighting stance.

Sasuke readied himself for his final attack. The three watched and swallowed hard. "Chidori!" Sasuke shouted as a lightning of chakura enveloped his hand. It's sound echoed extra loudly by the caves behind them.

Itachi narrowed his eyes and slid one foot back. "IT ENDS NOW!" Sasuke charged, raising his hand to attack.

"Katon, Kazan Lyuka no Jutsu (Phoenix flames)"

A magnificent flash of lightning to fire exploded upon impact. Within the flash of light, Sasuke dove through the bird of fire to Itachi. Itachi shifted another step back as he grasped Sasuke's wrist and kicked him hard to the stomach. Sasuke's eyes widened and the Chidori in his hand faded. All sound seemed to have vanished as Sasuke's body collapsed to the floor. Itachi held on to his wrist and watched the boy as his eyes close and shut his own.

"I'm over here!" Sasuke blunted as he landed his Chidori from the back. Itachi's eyes widened and looked back upon the fallen figure which disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

Dust began to clear. The three stretched their necks further out in an attempt to see what had happened. Sasuke stood in the middle, looking down upon his brother. Kakashi put his forehead protector back down to his eye. 'It's over,' he weezed.

"he won…" Naruto whispered with awe.

"Sas…Sasuke-kun! YOU Won…" Sakura's joys faded as she watched the sad expression on the boy's face. Sasuke raised his hand where blood was still dripping from. A shocking pain to his legs forced him to the ground. His team mates rushed in. He didn't notice their approach, he could only focus upon the blood on his hand.

'Why…I've just accomplished what I've been trying to accomplish my entire life. I surpassed him. I fulfilled by ambition…so why do I still feel this way,'

"Sasuke," he heard a weak call. His team all turned to the speaker.

Itachi smiled with his eyes closed, "You really did become strong." He said in proudly.

"What are you still blabbering about? Some last words before you die?" Sasuke glared.

"I didn't kill our clan," Itachi continued.

"What!" Sasuke lunged himself to his brother and grabbed the collar of his garb, "You slaughtered them, you slaughtered mom and dad, everyone!"

"No…I didn't,"

Sasuke's grip loosened, "I don't believe you."

"Then don't, but what I tell you now is the truth. That night, I was confronted by the Akatsuki. It was not the first time. Do you remember Shisui's murder? That was the first night they came to me,"

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Shisui and I was walking to the meeting that night after I ran into him coming back from my mission. That was when I saw them…

End…

The second part to this chapter will be continued in the following chapter so there will be no flashback opening for the next chapter. Naruto receives news of the one he seeks!

Thank you to the 5 who reviewed. I appreciate each and every one of it.

MadNarutoFan: I'm glad you like it. I've focused on Sasuke the past few chapters but they will all tie in, you'll see

Destiny1029: As long as you keep on giving me those awesome reviews, I'll keep em coming!

Dragon Sheinto: University gets in the way of me updating this story. I hope it was worth your wait

Ming Shun: I decided to cut it. Was originally planning to get Konoha more involved but then decided to leave that off to this chapter.

MelanieStar: Haha, It's all good, you working on any new piece lately? Hope you enjoyed this chapter too


	13. Yuruse Sasuke Part2

Ch13

Last time 

"_Mangekyou Sharingan!"_

"_Jiraiya, I'll send you to where Naruto is"_

"_he won…"_

'Why…I've just accomplished what I've been trying to accomplish my entire life. I surpassed him. I fulfilled by ambition…so why do I still feel this way,

"_I didn't kill the clan"_

Itachi rubbed the back of his neck which ached from the hours of seating and focus from his meeting with the ANBU. He yawned and stretched as he walked out of the Hokage temple doors. A sudden chill crept up his back, brining him to a sudden stop as he looked around. "Something wrong?" a fellow ANBU asked.

Itachi looked both ways down the street. Nothing particularly stood out of the ordinary. The road was empty, lit by a few flickering street light that the third not yet bothered to get fixed. The corner of his lip twisted upward as he turned calmly, "No, it's nothing. Just some rat trying to act touch in front of a cat," he replied.

"Rat?" his comrade raised an eyebrow, "go home and get some rest Itachi, I think you're growing paranoid if you can't even tell the difference between a mouse and an enemy."

"Maybe you're right."

"Actually, we were about to go hit the bar for a few drinks, you wanna join us?"

"No, I'm fine. I haven't reached my age anyways," he laughed.

Another fellow ANBU laughed, "Your Uchiha genius amazes me. Once you reach your next birthday, we're dragging you out for a drink. If we can't beat you in a fight fairly, we'll just have to wear you down first," the man laughed.

Itachi returned the laughter weakly, "I'll see you all next meeting,"

"Later"

The group walked out into the dark street of the night. Even after their figures disappeared, Itachi could still hear sounds of chattering and laughter. 'Those guys drink after every meeting. I suppose I can't blame them, every day may be their last.' He sighed and raised a palm up his back slowly until it reached the back of his head with his palm facing behind. A fist landed heavily into his palm, pushing it against the sore spot on his neck, forcing out a "yelp" from the young ANBU's lips.

"You usually don't hit so damn hard," Itachi growled as he stumbled forward.

"That's for calling me a rat that's trying to act tough," came a reply.

Itachi turned and laughed, "You know I'm right, Shisui."

"I may not be as strong as you are but I'm…uhh…shut up!" Shisui folded his arm and pouted.

Itachi gave a light chuckle as he regained his stature. "So what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I just came back from a night mission. I looked at the time and thought maybe it was about time you came out from your meeting," he replied.

"I see…"

"We should get going,"

"To where?"

"You forgot it already Itachi? The Uchiha ceremony. You know how important it is for our clan, and especially your father!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I suppose you're right."

"Of course I'm right. If we hurry, we might even make it just before the ceremony begins."

Shisui's dark hair, cut short in the back and spiked up at the front, swayed in the night breeze slightly as he bounced his steps along side his childhood friend "You're mession was a rough one I'm guessing?" Itachi chuckled.

"How did you know that?"

"Why else would your hair even move under such a light breeze as tonight. I know the hand full of gel that you put into it every morning."

"Yeah, the damn thieves ran pretty fast," Shisui replied. He was a fit young fellow, slightly shorter than Itachi. Though his size may have been to the slender side but his muscles were distinguished. He still wrapped his ningu belt around his waist and a few bandages wrapped onto his right leg can be seen under the shin guard.

"Geeze, you really did just get back. You look like you're ready to go to war," Itachi laughed.

"I'll change before I go to the ceremony," Shisui replied calmly.

They reached the small river that ran through the village. They could see the Milky Way reflecting brilliantly upon its surface, creating a silver aura upon the surface of the water with it's sparkles.

"Let's stop for a while," Shisui breezed in deeply.

"Won't we be late?" Itachi commented.

"We'll be fine. There's still 15minutes before everyone will even start gathering."

"Fine…"

"How's Sasuke?"

"His doing okay I suppose…"

"But…?"

"He sees me as his rival,"

"A little sibling rivalry never hurt anyone right?"

"I know. I just feel like he should find a different rival from me. The more he sees me as his rival, the more he hates me cause he feels like his not improving fast enough."

"Well is he improving?"

"Oh his improving fast, far faster than I thought he'd be able to improve."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Well…he hates me…"

Shisui chortled, "You're his older brother, he'll always hate you for one way or another. That's part of the description of siblinghood. If his improving fast cause he hates you than encourage that. You do want him to get stronger right?

"Well sure, I wish he can get better than me one day so I can give this troublesome position to him and retire,"

"Just don't worry about it. I'm have a feeling that that little runt would do something crazy one day," Shisui laughed.

"I suppose you're right," Itachi smiled back. The two smile diminished as they both slid their eyes back swiftly and jumped to the side. Two 12 pins stabbed into the wooden framework of the bridge, 6 on each of the spot they have just been standing on. "Who are you and what have you come here for!" Itachi glared as two figures appeared from above, landing in between the two Uchiha's. Their large sombrero covered their eyes but an amused smirk can be seen just above the collars of their blossom patterned garb.

"Itachi-kun, we came to invite you to join us," a low voice rung through the trickling of the river.

"and if I refuse?"

"I'm sure you won't be so rude as to deny an invitation by us," chuckled one of the men.

"I do what I want, and right now, I want you out of the village," Itachi looked up, revealing his Sharingan.

"So that is the famed sharingan of the Uchiha clan," the other man said in an impressed tone.

"To know about our clan and the sharingan and still dares to attack us, you two are just some idiots aren't you," Shisui laughed, revealing his sharingan as well.

"We may have to get our hands dirty on this one," the two men turned to each other. A shift in the positioning of their sombrero was the only indication of the motion.

Without a warning, the two lunged toward them.

"They're coming!" Itachi readied himself.

"I'll take the right, you take the left," Shisui called.

"Gotcha!" The two pulled out their Kunais and charged in.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Itachi landed heavily on his back. The cement ground ripped open his vest, grinding his flesh upon its rough surface. It was only after he had come to a stop did the full impact of the damage hit him. He cringed as the fresh wound burned him when he tried to get back on his feet, forcing him back down.

"Itachi!" Shisui turned to his fallen ally. He was about to run to his friend's aid when a hand caught him by his wrist. He turned his head and gave a disgusted look to the smirking face under the sombrero.

"Suirou no Jutsu (Water Prison)" The figure whispered calmly. Water orbed it self from the man's hand as it rapped itself around Shisui's body. Shisui took one last large breath as it confined him completely.

"How long will he last?" the figure chuckled lightly.

The second figure turned his eyes back to Itachi, "If you don't hurry and rescue him, he will surely drown."

"Release him!" shouted the young ANBU.

"We shall release him under one condition," two identical smirks crossed the faces of the two intruders.

"A Condition?" Itachi turned his focus from his friend to them.

"You must come with us," the an replied.

"For what purpose?"

The man glanced coldly through his sombrero and answered, "That is not for you to know. As long as you come with us and do as we ask, we shall release your friend."

"You must tell me what am I to do in order for me to decide whether I am willing to do it or not," Itachi pushed on. An aura of chakura swirled around the wound on his back.

"Ha, very well. We intend to collect the 9 legendary beasts, which are sealed into 9 different Jinchyurikis."

"For what?"

"For what every man want, POWER,"

"More power…" a grin sound itself to the young man's lips, "the talk of fools."

The man raised a brow.

"That ambition of yours will never come true…because…it will all end here tonight!"

The young lad calmly raised himself from the ground. The chakura that swam around his wound had now disappeared along with the damage.

"You should give victory speech after you win the battle," the man said with annoyance in his voice.

I've already won, "Itachi laughed."

The wind blew softly against the calm smile of the Uchiha nin as he stood smiling away as time ticked away. A smile that was so calm and carefree for the situation that it dominated his face. He did not move, he just stood with that same smile on his face as time chipped away.

"Well…? I'm waiting, the man returned his stance," The boy never moved nor give any sign that the words had entered his ear. "If you don't hurry, your friend there will die." Still no reply came, "If you will not come to me then I shall come to you," he growled with agitation.

He took a step forward. His foot came down firmly but it felt hollow. "What!" he gasped as a ripple erupted from under his foot. A chocking gas shot up as a blade of a sword pierced his throat from the inside. Blood rushed out of his mouth each time he tried to gasp for a new breath of air. His cries for pain came out in gurgles as he dropped on is knees. Then, the pain disappeared. He quickly placed his hand to his neck but no signs of any wound could be detected by his touch.

He stood back up slowly, rubbing his throat where the after taste of blood still remained. The teen's smiling face faded before his eyes, "Konbanwa," he waved with his right hand. The man squinted his eyes, 'Genjutsu!' he thought.

"Correct," the teen replied still smiling. Then without even a change in appearance, he stabbed the knife he held in his left.

Another round of pain shot through the Akatsuki's nerves. He wanted to pull back but his body would not move. Itachi began to slide the knife up slowly, still holding the innocent smile on his face. Then, with his waving hand, he grasped it tightly around his opponent's neck just as a scream was about to spill.

Then everything stopped. The man's attempts at struggling out of Itachi's grasp and his shaking from the knife that continued up toward his heart. Itachi's smile remained on his lips but his eyes turned to curiosity.

"Gotcha," the man laughed and grabbed the young man's hand swiftly. Slowly, he pushed it away from his throat.

"Impossible!" Itachi swallowed.

"Who's laughing now?" the man chuckled. Then with a quick suck of his stomach, he shot Itachi's other hand along with the knife out of him. Not a trace of the wound remained. "You continue to underestimate me, that is not a good thing to do in battle," he explained, tightening his grasp on the teen's hand. Itachi tried to pull out but as hard as he tried, it wouldn't budge. "You were already under my genjutsu the moment I turned my focus upon you. That was an impressive little trick you pulled. If I hadn't put you under my Genjutsu first just in case, I'm sure the damage of it on my mind would have been substantial," he congratulated, "but…" he narrowed his to a serious expression as blue flames erupted from his hand. The fire quickly spread up the sleeve of the young confused teen. The man gave his hand one tug and the moment he did so, Itachi felt heat beginning to build up around him. Slowly it became warmer, and warmer, and hotter. Itachi struggled desperately against the man's hold. The heat built up even higher. Itachi screamed as he struggled harder against the man's firm grasp.

"80…90…100," the man chanted. Itachi's legs buckled beneath him. In the corner of his eye, he could see his skin swelling. "150 degrees Celsius 200…250…300…400…600..800…1000!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A loud cry rang through the air as Itachi fell to the ground. His entire body was quivering as though the pain he had experienced was still there. Shisui released a chortle as he held his hand to his mouth.

"This one's almost done," laughed the man holding the Jutsu.

The other remained quiet, watching the fallen ninja intensely. "This is your last chance, come with us and we shall spare your friend's life."

Itachi raised his head from the ground and looked to his trapped friend who was shaking his head.

"Shisui…let him go," Itachi glared at the two. He hated himself, he hated himself for not having the capability of defeating the two foes. He hated himself, for having to watch his friend die before him. 'Why…' he wondered to himself, 'I can't beat them…' he clentched his shaking hands into a fist. 'Shisui…' he thought, looking back at his friend.

Shisui continued to shake his head, then just as another chortle released some last bit of air from his lungs, he released his hand from his lips and smiled. A smile that said, "good bye"

"Shisui!" Itachi shouted.

Shisui's body relaxed as he took a large inhale of water. With one last glance to his childhood friend, he closed his eyes.

"Shisui…" Itachi mumbled. His quivering stopped as he forced him up from the ground.

"That can't be…no one has ever stood back after taking that Jutsu. The fact that he was conscious afterwards was amazing as it is," the man took a step back and admired the strong will of the young man.

"I'll never go with you," Itachi growled, "I would die before you can make me become one of you," his voice slowly regaining volume. The tremors in his legs stopped. The three pupils in his eyes fused as he raised his head at the man before him.

"Those are…" the man gasped.

"Die!" Itachi jumped, landing a heavy blow into the man's stomach.

Spit flew from his mouth as he sunk from the blow. He caught the second shot that came down from above and blocked it quickly with his arm, "Don't get too caught up!" the he spat and returned a punch to the boy's stomach.

His partner released the ninja in captivity and watched the lifeless body fall to the ground. The forehead protector untied from his head and plopped beside him with a clear "tink." His captor looked at the body with certain dissatisfaction, "damn fool ended his own life," he spoke angrily, then reached down, grabbed the corpse by it's collar and threw it into the river.

"Itachi-san, you will come with us, we have ways in getting what we want and sometimes, that may not be pretty,"

With that, the two disappeared into the wind.

Itachi crawled his way to the forehead protector that still lay on the floor. He took it to his hand and folded it neatly in his hand. Another shot of pain came to his abdomen, causing him to drop the small headgear back onto the floor. He looked upon it with sorrow in his eyes. Biting his lips, he slammed his fist against the ledge of the bridge, sending another jolt of pain through his muscles.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"You expect me to believe that?" Sasuke responded coldly.

"That is the truth, whether to believe the truth or not is up to you," Itachi laughed as a few coughs broke his laughter.

"Bull shit! Then why did you leave! How did you get the Mangekyou Sharingan! Why did you have to put me through all this!" Sasuke blunted with rage as he was about to lunge himself at the fallen figure when Kakashi stopped him.

"Like I told you, they have ways in getting what they wanted. Naruto-kun," Itachi turned his attention to the blond boy who sat dumbfounded on his side.

"Huh, me?" Naruto jumped.

"The Akatsuki already possess the sword,"

"What!" the blond ninja snapped his eyes wide.

"Yes,"

"But then…"

"No, the sword was just an old blade formed from crystallized bedrock that lay under the ocean a few miles out into sea from it where a volcano had been active hundreds of years ago, perhaps even thousands," Another surge of pain squeezed Itachi as blood began to spill faster from the hole in his abdomen.

"Move aside!" Sakura said, pushing the blond boy as she placed her hands upon Itachi's wound.

"What are you doing!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Standard procedure. We need to extract information from a captured enemy right? But at this rate, he'll die before we can get the information we need. Besides, if his telling the truth, his worth saving." Sakura began to focus her chakura to her hands.

"But what if his lying!" Naruto spat.

"Don't worry, I'll treat him enough that he'll live but nothing more," Sakura smiled.

"Wait if they managed to find the sword then…" Naruto's heart felt as though it had skipped a beat.

Calmness returned to Itachi's face in short time and his bleeding stopped. "I also have some news that would probably be unwelcoming to your ears, it's about…your mother."

End…

Reviews

Iiiris: Sorry for the confusion, I'll try to wrap everything up nice and neatly with these up coming chapters before going on

Destiny: Glad you like it, and keep those reviews coming, I appreciate your support!

Mad Narutofan: Who knows, maybe, maybe not. Maybe I'll through in something unexpected…(looks to both sides with a smirk)

Kawaiinezumi: Haha sorry, but the chapters would become too long if I didn't end it with a cliffy. Besides, cliffy's are fun, haha.

Melanie Star: You think Itachi should live or die? I could go either way right, still haven't really decided on that yet haha. I'm sort of leaning toward die cause I don't like stories where everyone lives. Call me dark lol.

Thanks to all who reviewed, and all who are enjoying this fanfic as much as I enjoy writing it. I hope to continue to get your support! Also, ideas for future minor events (Things that won't change the general direction my story is going) or constructive criticisms are welcomed and very much appreciated.


	14. Approaching War

Ch14

"You asked me, Sasuke, of how I achieved the Mangekyou Sharingan," Itachi closed his eyes and spoke softly, "It's simple, It's your desperate will to achieve more power. You remember the scroll you found under the third tatami of the Uchiha temple?"

Sasuke's eyes twitched.

"Our Uchiha clan wasn't all the heroic figureheads that protected the village."

_(Scroll)_

_Feared throughout all the lands, the Uchiha clan had been a rogue clan for generations. Lead by the head family, we traveled from village to village killing mercilessly and took as we pleased, leaving a trail of firry destruction behind. Nothing stood in our way with the final stage of the Mangekyou Sharingan._

_We did not know why but we knew how to achieve such a power. A weapon of blood may only be achieved by blood was the saying we followed. Every 3 years, a cruel event was held within the clan. Our youth between the age of 10-13 were to battle to the death for the ultimate prize, the Mangekyou. This was our way of keeping the clan small and to weed out the weak as well. All who opposed were dealt with severely by our leader._

_We were fearless and believed we were invincible until that one day when we arrived…here. The village of Konoha was a place, large for a city, but small to be called a town. Our leader had chosen it to be our next target. As the sun began to set behind the mountain with one man's face carved upon it, we began our assault. We did not get far. Immediately upon entering, we were confronted with the Hokage. Our best seemed like amateurs compared to him, who defeated them with a single swift blow. Even our leader who managed a decent fight for a short while was slain because of his stubborn refusal of defeat. Our entire clan could have been wiped out by this one man but instead, he gave us an alternate rout. He entitled the most important part of his village to those of us who still remained. He entrusted us with its security, to guard and protect the village and its people._

_We, who had just come not long ago to destroy this village, were now entrusted with the village itself. From that day forward, we vowed to protect this village of Konoha and to serve under this valiant hero, The Hokage._

_(End writing)_

"The Uchiha clan's background?" Kakashi gulped a ball of air down his throat. His left eye seemed to feel a small tinge of numbness.

"That is true," another voice came as the group turned toward its origin.

"Ero-senin!" Naruto spat, "What the hell are you doing here!"

"I've come to tell you guys to return to the village immediately because the Akatsuki had set a trap for you but I guess you found that out already," the old hermit replied calmly and glanced at the fallen ninja, "What he had said so far is true."

Itachi didn't even open his eyes. "Naruto-kun."

The blond boy turned sharply.

"Your mother," he spoke quietly, "Is dead"

Something had struck the young boy then and there along with the shocked expression of all who was there. Sound seemed to disappear and a feeling came over him unlike anything he has ever experienced. It was as though his very soul was drowned into darkness. He raised his hands to his misty eyes. They were trembling. "no…" he chocked, "you're lying…you must be lying. She can't be dead. Not after all that, she can't be dead."

"I'm sorry," Itachi sighed.

"SHUT UP!" Naruto barked, launching himself with his fist drawn back. Jiraiya immediately grabbed the boy by his collar and pulled him back. The frustrated boy struggled to free himself in blind rage. "YOU'RE LYING! YOU LIE!" he roared repeatedly as he continued to stretch his arms, trying to grab hold of Itachi.

"Naruto, calm yourself NOW!" Jiraiya commanded.

The old man's shout seemed to have gotten through to the boy as he lowered his arm slowly. Looking down, he bit his lips and took in a deep breath.

A moment of silence hung in the air before Itachi gave a painful cough. "Sasuke," he spoke clearly as though nothing had happened, "lend me your ear."

The young Uchiha narrowed his eyes. After some time, he reluctantly bent over and waved Sakura away. As he bent over, Itachi raised his hand and gave the boy a poke on his forehead. "Forgive me Sasuke," he whispered as he pulled the boy in closer, "I was wrong with my methods."

"Is that all you have to say?" Sasuke growled coldly.

Itachi released a light chuckle and loosened his muscles.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at a peculiar red mass that flowed from underneath the young man's body. It was blood. Blood which she thought had stopped was flowing ever more intensely than ever. She jumped in and placed her hand back on the wound while the others watched her. "It's not stopping," panic was in her voice, "I don't get it, it stopped before, why isn't it stopping now!" She focused her chakura harder but blood still continued to flow. "Stop…come on, STOP!" She could hear his heart beat weakening under her palm, and weaker, and weaker until finally, his muscles relaxed and there was non. The others gathered in a tight circle as they gazed upon the fallen warrior draw his last breath. A calm smile remained lodged upon his face that seemed so fulfilling, appearing more like he was just sleeping. The pink haired girl sighed and removed her hands. "His gone," she spoke softly.

(night time)

It was another quiet night. It had taken them a good part of the afternoon scaling down the mountain side and they had not made much progress since. It was a quiet journey, no one spoke a word. Each was confined within their own thoughts. A stick and a bump on the ground now marked the spot of the fallen Shinobi while dust settled quietly upon its surface.

A rustle woke the sleeping girl. She rose slowly and looked about. The fact that he was missing did not surprise her. She had a feeling he would go off again. 'How many times has he gone off into the woods during the night in his life' she wondered. A heavy pressure of guilt fell upon her chest, 'I wonder how many of those times were cause by my heartless comments.' She got to her feet and looked around. Then, upon a branch of the highest tree, she spotted the red swirl of his jacket, hunched in an arch of his seated figure.

Naruto sat quietly, looking up at the stars while holding his knees together with his arms in a tight embrace. "Did I wake you Sakura-chan?" he whispered as he cocked his head to the side where the girl appeared a few moments later.

"I couldn't really sleep anyways," she replied, taking a seat beside him.

"Sorry," Naruto apologized as he turned his head back to the skies.

"It's fine," Sakura followed him to the sky as she began swinging her legs that hung under the branch. A small breeze brushed their cheeks and a pause hung in the air as the two gazed to the silver sparkles that embedded itself into the dark-blue heavens until Sakura released a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry about your mom," she consoled.

"…"

"Are you going to be okay?"

"…"

Sakura looked down sadly. "Sorry," she apologized softly, "it probably isn't my problem."

"I'm fine," Naruto replied, keeping his head tilted up.

Sakura looked up to the boy's face. 'His always fine, at least he always says he is.' But she could see how he truly felt. Not even he could hide the sorrow he held inside this time. There was a faint tear trail that flown from the corner of his eye to the bottom of his chin.

"Not like anything's changed," he said in a depressing way that made him seem out of character from his usual self, "So I learned today that my mother is dead. I've lived for 17years thinking my mother was dead. Now, I just go back to my old life. What's changed from before?"

"…"

"I've learned to accept that fact over the past 17years you know. I promised myself that I wouldn't cry over my own selfish wants. "

"Naruto, don't say that."

"Perhaps that's why I'm grudging myself about this thing so much right now. I've watched the other kids and their families as they went home biting my nails with jealousy and envy. You'd think that after 17years, I would be use to it by now. I thought that was within my grasp so I reached for it. But now that it's been taken away from me again, I'm stomping my feet and beating myself up about it. Guess I was too selfish,"

"Naruto, stop it!" Sakura said strictly.

"Hope," the young boy said with a pause. Sakura looked to him questioningly. "They say people live on because of hope for something better. I lived with nothing, and finally I was given a light to which I did everything I could to follow, but it's been taken away again. I feel like I lost my purpose in living Sakura-chan. I lost everything…twice."

A loud slap echoed as a hand swung across his cheek. He turned back slowly and looked at the girl who still held her arm at where it had stopped after the hit. "Why did you just do that!" Naruto asked, rubbing the sore spot of his cheek. Slowly, his eyes rose to hers. They were eyes of frustration, anger, pity, sympathy, eyes which showed a thousand emotions, leaving the boy not knowing what he should say or do but sit there, rubbing his cheek with his mouth open in a small gasp.

The girl softened her expression, then reached into her back pocket. "Do you remember this?" she asked as she pulled out a small, round, locket.

"What's this?" Naruto took it to his hand.

"Look inside,"

the blond shinobi examined it for a while then pressed on the top, making the small object pop open. There was a photo inside that consisted of 4 people. Naruto's eyes fixed upon the picture. 2 smiling faces, 1 angry expression, and 1 reluctant pout was outlined by the gold frame of the outer layer.

"That was the photo taken not long after we graduated and became part of Kakashi team7." Sakura smiled nostalgically.

"And…?"

"Do you remember what Kakashi-sensei's first lesson to us was?"

Naruto's eyes seemed to grow slightly wider with awe.

"It was teamwork. One for all and all for one, remember. That day, we shared our dreams, our goals, you still have to become Hokage and be recognized by the village right? Who says you have nothing to live for. What about Iruka-sensei, and Kakashi-sensei. What about Lee-kun or Neji-san. You're not alone Naruto, you have friends now, and if that's not enough, live for me…" Sakura finished off shifting her glance.

"Sa…kura…chan?"

"ANYWAYS!" Sakura coughed as she grabbed her locket, "Try to cheer up. You're Uzumaki Naruto, the future Kage of the fire country right?"

Naruto kept his eyes upon her as he watched her soft smile. Then, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve roughly, he smile back.

Sakura gave a nod and got to her feet. "I'm going to go back to sleep, don't stay up too late alright?" she prepared herself to jump to the ground.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto called just before she made her lunge. The pink haired girl glanced to him with her head slightly tilted. "thanks," he waved.

She gave him a gentle smile and replied, "You're welcome," before jumping off the tree and returning to their camp.

Near by, hidden under the shadows of the night, an old senin cracked a chuckle as he watched in secret. "He should be fine now," he spoke calmly.

"Yeah," Kakashi replied with his back turned to the old man and hands in his pocket.

"I thought maybe I should have talked to him but, it looks like someone else got to him before me," he laughed.

"They're growing before our eyes." Kakashi grinned, "Do you think they may be even stronger than us now?"

Jiraiya raised a brow and looked at the young boy that still sat in the tree. "Nah…" he shook his head.

"I'm starting to get old," Kakashi joked.

"Hey, I'm the one older than you by two generations you know," the old man shook his head with a sigh.

(Akatsuki Hideout)

"Itachi is dead," a clear voice reported.

"The time draws near," a reply came.

"It seems that he talked just before he went."

"It doesn't matter. Them knowing about the matters now wouldn't make any difference to the outcome of their fate now."

"Do you actually believe that it will be that easy?"

"…"

"…"

"All but one."

Silence.

The sky was still dark but a small bit of light showed its signs over the hills ahead. None of them managed to sleep comfortably that night. They gathered their things and grabbed a quick bite of the rice balls they had brought with them before taking off.

"Jiraiya-sama," kakashi nudged with his head.

"What?" the old man looked up as he pushed himself off another branch.

"When you just came to us, you confirmed what Itachi was saying was true. Does that mean that you knew about the scroll or the entire story?" Kakashi asked, returning his eyes to the small book he always held in his hand.

"Since you now know, and since Itachi is already dead, I will tell you," the old man breathed out slowly. The three kids turned their attentions to him as well. "The truth of the matter was only shared between the Hokage, the high counsil, Tsunade, and I. The third believed that open war would be too risky at the time against the akatsuki clan. The only ones that could even stand a chance to face them was he himself and the legendary three, or two since Orochimaru betrayed us. Perhaps that was a mistake. In doing so, we gave the Akatsuki further time to prepare. But you know, the old guy was all about peace. During the Uchiha-clan massacre, the third met with Itachi. At first, he had gone to arrest the boy but once he saw him, it was clear of what the truth was. Long story short, he acknowledged that the best method was indeed for Itachi to join the Akatsuki and ended the case with Itachi killing his own clan and abandoning the country."

In the back, Sasuke spat, biting his lips.

(2 days passes and the crew finally returned to Konoha. Tsunade received the news of Itachi's demise and another name was carved into the stone of heroes. Now, the fact that the Akatsuki had begun their movement is confirmed, the 5th gathered all jounins to a meeting for preparations to war. The meeting ended with the agreement that only jounins would participate and that anyone who is chunin or below is to assure the safety of all civilians. By the 5th orders, a letter was sent to Naruto and Sasuke allowing them to become Jounins if they wished to acknowledge the honor.)

"The letters has been sent Tsunade-sama," Shizune announced with a bow.

"Thanks a lot. Sasuke should be fine but when I think I'm letting Naruto become a jounin, there's just something about that, that feels unsettling," Tsunade laughed.

"I think he fights good enough to be a jounin now,"

"I think so too, which is why I wrote him that letter. It's his maturity that I'm not satisfied with,"

"Good point,"

A round of laughter erupted from the hokage's office as the two women remembered the idiotic things the blond haired misfit has caused. The laughter sounded forced but they didn't mind. Anything to brighten the endangered mood of the village at that moment was good enough for them. A moment of relief was all they wanted.

(outside Naruto's home)

"YES!" a loud cheer bombed out of the house as Naruto bursted out the door, holding a small brown envelope in his hand delicately. "I'm a Jounin!" he exclaimed and ran down the street with great excitement. Then, a sudden realization hit him, stopping his steps. "oops, the Hokage temple was the other way," he laughed to himself and began dashing to the opposite direction.

His feet slowed upon seeing a figure, walking up ahead, also holding a same colored object in his hand. "Sasuke!" he called with joy, "Guess what! I'm acknowledged as a Jounin!"

Sasuke didn't turn. Shoving his envelope in his pocket, he continued walking with his head tucked down to his jacket.

"Sasuke, you got the letter too right!" Naruto made his way next to him and nudged him with his elbow. "I know you did, I saw what you just put in your pocket. Isn't it awesome, we're gonna be Jounins!"

"…"

"Look at that. We didn't even need to go through the troubles of taking the exam. Although I was looking forward to seeing what kind of challenges the exam had to offer but, hey this works too. What you think Sas…ke?" the large smile across his face diminished as he gazed into his rivals eyes. "Hey Sasuke," he said with a low tone, "come on, you just got invited to become a Jounin. Don't you want to be a Jounin?"

"Naruto," Sasuke spoke with a deep voice and paused to turn his head away from the boy "I'm going to quit being a Shinobi…" he spoke with a definite voice. Silence filled the air. The wind glided slowly, flowing through the empty afternoon ally where the two stood.

End…

Reviews

Ming Shun: No Itachi? Lol

Kawaiineziumi: And so, I leave off with another cliffy lol.

Iiiris: I never really meant for this to be a happy comedy haha.

Melaniestar: You say die, he dies. Sorry for long wait, but its finally up!

Destiny1029: Thank you, I will keep updating but I don't know how long, be patient and I will get it finished


	15. Loss of Self

Ch15

_"Run away, it's the beast!" kids scattered as they made faces behind them to the blond boy who frowned back at them._

_The blond child continued his steps through the park but any direction he turned he only saw glares of hatred and disgust, whisperings and snickers that mocked his presence, and rolling of eyes and turning of heads that attempted to avoid eye contact with him._

_He tried hard to ignore them but it was more difficult than he had anticipated. His steps grew faster as he tucked his head into his neck and made his way out of the park's exit._

_It was late in the afternoon already. He didn't feel like going home. Hearing the peaceful trickling of water, he took a seat on the grassy slant of the ditch. Even if he received glares of woe he still preferred being able to see shadows of people to his empty house. It wasn't that he enjoyed such taunts and mockeries that make him wish the presence of others, it was just that time of the day that he loved…and hated. Late afternoon, the time when kids returns to their homes after being scolded by their mothers about the layer of fresh dirt that crusts their faces and clothing. As he listened to mothers' calls and the children's disappointed replies, he could only imagine with envy as he gazed into the waters of the ditch._

_His eyes caught a figure, sitting a few meters down from him on the opposite shore. Another boy, roughly the same age as he was, was also sitting in the same pose as he was. A feeling of strange curiosity rose inside him then. Something about that boy spoke to him. The boy looked up, realizing he was being observed and for a second, the two's eyes met. 'those eyes…they look…familiar,'_

_Then, something unexpected occurred. The boy smiled with a nod of greetings. He had never received a smile before, it felt different. Not knowing what to do, he smiled back. With that, the boy stood up and with a bow of goodbye and walked away._

"Quit Shinobi?" Naruto said softly and motionless, "Why!" he blunted.

"There's no more point for me to continue as a Shinobi," Sasuke replied coldly, his hand still rested inside the side pocket of his shorts.

"What do you mean there's no more point, I don't get what the hell your saying," the blond boy croaked as his hand tightened on his letter.

"My mission was to defeat Uchiha Itachi, and I have accomplished that. I remained as a shinobi only because it was the way for me to build my fighting skills for that goal. Everything I did was to achieve that goal. I WAS an avenger. Now that I have done that, there is nothing left for me as a ninja, a fighter…as Uchiha Sasuke,"

"That doesn't mean you have to quit!" Naruto spat with anger, "Why the hell would you quit!"

"Calm down Naruto," Sasuke commanded, "my decision is final!"

"How do you expect me to remain calm, damn it! You're quitting!"

"Yes, I'm quitting. It's my decision and my decision alone. What are you getting fired up about, it has nothing to do with you,"

"Are you serious Sasuke?"

"I'm serious."

"I don't believe you, I refuse to believe you!"

"You can believe what you want then. I became a shinobi because it was the quickest way for me to get stronger. It was the fastest way to achieve my ambition. Nothing more."

Naruto's eyes fined with an up roar of rage. "You lived your life with only your ambition?" he asked, just barely holding himself together.

"That's right," Sasuke answered without a moment of thought, "How many times do I have to tell you before I can crack it through that thick skull of yours?"

"What about Konoha, what about your home, your friends, your…" Naruto pushed on but was cut off by the young Uchiha before he could finish.

"Don't give me that," he spoke with irritation, "Friends? I only had enemies, people who saw me as a rival, a weapon, and nothing more. People like you, who's goal in life was to surpass me. Those are the so called 'friends' that I had. I stayed around because they kept improving and it worked as a motivation for me to keep them in their place. Home? What home do I have? My home, my family, everything I've ever cared for were all slaying that night. Konoha isn't my home. It may have once been but now."

(Smack)

A hard blow timbered his balance, stumbling him to the ground. "What the hell was that," he snapped with rage as he turned back to the blond boy, nursing the sore spot from the attack.

"Bull shit," Naruto spat, "That's a lie and you know it!" Sasuke spat to the ground and stood back up but said nothing. "Power wasn't the only reason that kept you going," Naruto continued, "Either that or you're not Sasuke! If your life was focused on one objective, if your life only had one motive, then why did you risk your life so many times to save something you didn't care for. You risked your life to save me back in the wave country, you risked your life to save the village during the war against the sound ninjas. Did you not fight because you wanted to protect? Did you not fight because you wanted to save something you didn't want destroyed? (silence) Answer me!"

"I said it before," a chilling voice replied, "My answer to you is the same. What you want to believe is not my problem. I quit" With those final words, Sasuke began to walk away.

"The Akatsuki will go to war against Konoha soon," Naruto said after him. Sasuke continued walking without a word. "Fine, go," Naruto said, "But I'll tell you this. It's true that I did see you as my rival, as my goal. But even before that, on that afternoon when we first met, I saw you as a friend."

Sasuke shifted his eyes back but still spoke nothing and made his way around the corner of an intersection.

Oooooooooooooo

"I see, very well," Tsunade nodded in acknowledgement.

"Very well? What do you mean very well!" Naruto spat, "Are you just going to let him walk, just like that?"

"What do you want me to do Naruto. He chose this himself and I don't have the authority to trample on his freedom just cause his a good fighter," Tsunade replied.

Naruto wanted to say more but he couldn't find any more legitimate arguments.

"What about you? Are you going to accept the offer?" Tsunade asked with the simple motive to change the topic.

"Of course I will," Naruto said with slight uncertainty.

"Alright, under the word of Hokage, you are hear by recognized as a Jounin from hence forward. Upon this certificate, declares that you have shown great accomplishments in the arts of the Shinobi, (Tsunade pulls out a certificate), this certificate proves your capabilities and allows you the title of a Jounin. Kenten 15, November 8th, receive this honor with pride Naruto," Tsunade smiled.

Naruto corrected his posture and took the certificate from her hand with a formal bow.

The usual hustle and bustle of the streets of Konoha were now quiet. No one knew when the attack was going to occur so all that wasn't a Jounin were sent to the shelters. The shelters were enlarged since the days of the third, and each were connected to the other. Supplies were hefty and able to last for quite some time without much to worry about. It was almost a miniature version of the outside village and that took away some discomforts of those who hid within. Kids ran about freely, ignoring playfully of the adult's calls. The wives gossiping, the husbands drinking, to most that stayed in the shelter, things felt like a vacation and was taken lightly due to the lack of action outside.

The citizen has been sheltered for three full days now without much of anything happening. Some began to suggest a false alarm and small arguments began to arouse within the shelters. That was when the main gate of the shelter opened with a bang. Tsunade walked in with anger in her eyes as the ones about that area turned and fell silent. The conflict resided and eyes shifted to her. "Are you all that desperate to die?" she shouted with furry, "This is a safety shelter, not a free holiday for all your hard works," she hissed into the mic which announced her voice to all the sections of the shelter, "There are individuals out there that's most likely about to sacrifice their lives for you and all you can say in return is I'm bored and I want fresh air?" a round of guilty shame fled across those who argued, "I wouldn't have put you all in here if it wasn't for your own good. When things are settled and safe, you shall all be brought out. With the bad things said at the front, I'll say this before I leave. You're all precious lives to me. I know you feel cramped but just hold out a bit longer, I speak for all who is out there that we will die before we let anything happen to Konoha," she hinted a smile and walked out.

In a corner of one shelter, Sasuke bit his lip with a "Tchi" and spat to the floor.

Naruto stood upon the eastern wall, looking to the distance as he took a bite into his rice ball. He was depressed but not because of what has happened three days ago. He wasn't a boy who would dwell on something he couldn't have changed. It was something else that bothered him that brought him to the way he felt there and then. "How troublesome, we can never have a little piece and quiet," Shikamaru made his way from the side and waved.

"Yeah," Naruto sighed.

"The Akatsuki, those are the guys that killed the Kaze-kage a few years ago weren't they?" Shikamaru asked, taking a seat beside the boy.

"Yeah," the blond boy sighed again.

"I heard someone say to me that we're fighting for peace," Shikamaru closed his eyes as he turned to the sky, "We fight cause we have to fight."

"Is that because of me?" Naruto turned his gaze down to his feet.

Shikamaru opened one eye and looked to him questioningly, "What are you talking about?"

"It's the Kyubi they're after, not the village, that means that I'm the person that's jeopardizing everyone's safety right now right?"

"Is that why you were so depressed when I came," Shikamaru laughed, "Not true."

"If I just turn myself in, wouldn't that save us from our next battle?"

"Do you really think that Naruto? Do you really think that by you submitting yourself to them that it will really save the people you care about? Why do you think they want it Naruto?"

"For power?"

"Yes for power. That's what anyone with a lust would want. And what use is power unless you use it? Trust me Naruto, if you submit to them, they'll still come back and we'll just be a man short and them, another Jinchyuriki stronger."

"It's always about the Jinchyurikis, why did I have to be the one cursed with this bullshit."

"Cursed? I actually see it as a blessing. I hate to admit it Naruto but when you use the power of that thing inside you, I doubt anyone in the village can beat you right now including Tsunade-sama…don't tell her I said that."

"It's not me who has control over it. It's it that has control over me. If I die, it dies, that's why it gives me the strength. I've been called a monster, a demon, you name it. Now that I think about it, I am one. When the fox gets me, I don't have control of my body. I'm sure I won't recognize friend from foe. Even now, I can't remember a thing about what happened when I changed. I just know I changed because that part of my memory isn't there."

"But so far you've fought to protect and not harm. Believe it or not Naruto, if my predictions are correct, you will probably be more depended upon than most of us."

"Your prediction?"

"There's no point in me telling you about it now cause false information will just lead to false assumptions. When the time comes, we'll find out for our selves."

"…?"

"Well, looks like my breaks over, I gotta head back to my post, I'll see ya."

Naruto watched him walk away with confused eyes, but his thoughts still remained. 'The Kyubi's power…' "Weak," a low voice echoed in his mind as he snapped up and looked about. No one was there. Giving his head a shake, he checked his watch. 'Wow, I probably should take my break soon,' he thought to himself.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

A cold wind, sank low to the ground, brushed against the feet of 7 shadows that stood in a compact ring. "You're finally going to join us this time eh boss?"

"Indeed," he chuckled.

"How do you feel about seeing your home again," a figure laughed.

"Any homesickness?" another smirked.

"No," the man answered clearly, "not at all."

TBC…

Reviews:

Aaa: Thank you

Iiiris: I'd be honored. I'll say, I wrote this before it really came out and gloat over my predictions haha!

Conlan0414863: Of course I will continue. I won't leave this thing posted if I won't bother updating haha!


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